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diff --git a/old/69388-0.txt b/old/69388-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index bc19c32..0000000 --- a/old/69388-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,10247 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The official chaperon, by Natalie -Sumner Lincoln - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The official chaperon - -Author: Natalie Sumner Lincoln - -Release Date: November 19, 2022 [eBook #69388] - -Language: English - -Produced by: D A Alexander and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team - at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images - generously made available by the Library of Congress) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE OFFICIAL CHAPERON *** - - - - - - THE - OFFICIAL CHAPERON - - - - -By Natalie Sumner Lincoln - - The Official Chaperon - C. O. D. - The Man Inside - The Lost Despatch - The Trevor Case - -D. APPLETON & COMPANY, NEW YORK - - - - - THE OFFICIAL - CHAPERON - - - BY - NATALIE SUMNER LINCOLN - AUTHOR of “C. O. D.,” “THE TREVOR CASE,” ETC. - - ILLUSTRATED - - - NEW YORK AND LONDON - D. APPLETON AND COMPANY - 1915 - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1915, BY - D. APPLETON AND COMPANY - - - Printed in the United States of America - - - - -[Illustration: Marjorie Langdon] - - - - -TO MY BROTHER - -GEORGE GOULD LINCOLN - - - “_We twa hae run about the braes, - And pu’d the gowans fine; - But we’ve wandered mony a weary foot - Sin auld lang syne._” - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - I. AN ILL WIND 1 - II. MISSING 7 - III. QUESTIONS AND QUERIES 18 - IV. TEMPTING FATE 28 - V. GIVE AND TAKE 37 - VI. AT FORT MYER 47 - VII. TREASURE TROVE 61 - VIII. THE ONLY WOMAN 76 - IX. GAY DECEIVERS 89 - X. IN THE COLD, GRAY DAWN 104 - XI. GREAT EXPECTATIONS 115 - XII. A TANGLED WEB 129 - XIII. DUNCAN’S DILEMMA 143 - XIV. THE PHILANDERER 159 - XV. IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING 169 - XVI. A TUG OF WAR 177 - XVII. OUT OF THE FRYING-PAN 191 - XVIII. LIGHT-FINGERED GENTRY 204 - XIX. FALSE WITNESS 222 - XX. WATCHFUL WAITING 240 - XXI. THE STORM CENTER 255 - XXII. “TOUJOURS SANS TACHE” 272 - XXIII. THE HEARING EAR 282 - XXIV. THE KINGDOM OF THE BLIND 294 - XXV. PHANTOMS OF THE NIGHT 304 - XXVI. UNCOVERED 317 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - Marjorie Langdon _Frontispiece_ - FACING - PAGE - “She was about to call her by name, when Janet quietly - took up a diamond sunburst” 100 - - “Barnard again inspected Mrs. J. Calhoun-Cooper. ‘She - looks like an Indian begum’” 214 - - - - -THE OFFICIAL CHAPERON - - - - -CHAPTER I - -AN ILL WIND - - -“WASHINGTON, Washington; all off for Washington!” The porter’s -stentorian call echoed through the Pullman sleeper. “This way out.” - -A second more and the aisle was filled with sleepy passengers who -strove to push past each other with the impatient rudeness which -characterizes the average American traveler. The last to leave the car -was a tall man, whose leisurely movements left him a prey to a hovering -porter, and he surrendered his suit-case to the obsequious darky, after -first inquiring the way to the baggage room. - -“Go ahead and engage a taxi for me,” he directed, following his guide -across the imposing concourse and into the waiting-room. - -“Yessir.” The porter touched his cap respectfully; at one glance he had -appraised the traveler’s well-groomed appearance, and his palm itched -for the anticipated tip. “But you’d better hurry, suh; I kain’t hol’ a -cab long, suh, an’ dey’s mighty scarce at dis time ob de mawnin,’ suh.” - -“All right.” The traveler quickened his steps, corralled a half awake -baggage clerk, gave his instructions, and sought the southern entrance -of the station without further waste of time. - -“Heah’s yo’ cab, suh,” called the porter. The information was somewhat -superfluous, for only one taxi stood at the curb, the rest having been -requisitioned by other passengers. “Thank yo’, suh,” added the porter, -as his lingers closed over a half dollar; his intuition had not been -wrong. “Where to, suh?” - -His question remained unanswered, for the traveler shouldered him -aside, and gave his directions to the chauffeur in so low a tone that -they were not overheard, then entered the cab and settled himself -comfortably on the roomy seat. Half dozing he took no notice of the -taxi’s progress up Massachusetts Avenue to Sheridan Circle, and was -only aroused from his nap by the abrupt stopping of the vehicle before -a white marble residence of imposing size. He started to leave the -taxi, then drew back. - -“Lord!” he grumbled, inspecting the drawn blinds and closed vestibule -door. “I forgot I’m still south of Mason and Dixon’s line; everybody’s -asleep.” - -“Want to be driven around a bit, sir?” questioned the chauffeur. - -“I do not,” dryly, glancing askance at the register. He pulled out his -watch and scanned the dial. “Six-fifteen. Any Turkish Baths near here?” - -“The Riggs’ Bath is the best, sir; get you there in a few minutes.” - -“Very well,” and with a resigned sigh, the traveler leaned back and -studied his surroundings with interest as the taxi passed down the -quiet thoroughfares. On approaching the business section of the city -there were more signs of life, and in crossing a street the taxi was -held up by a number of heavy drays. - -In the pause that followed the traveler casually inspected the side of -a red brick basement house whose entrance fronted on the other street. -The windows of what appeared to be a library on the second floor were -open, letting in the balmy air which accompanies Indian Summer in the -Capital City, and the traveler saw a colored servant dusting the room. -His feather duster, wielded with unusual vigor, struck against some -papers lying on a desk by the window, and the topmost sheet sailed -out. The wind carried it to the gutter where a small stream of water -from the recently flushed street swept it along to the sewer opening, -where it poised for a moment on the brink, then disappeared into the -dark depths beneath. The servant, leaning half out of the window, -breathlessly watched the paper’s progress with eyes and mouth wide -open, and his ludicrously agonized expression drew a faint chuckle from -the traveler as his taxi started down the street. - -Some time later the traveler, refreshed by his bath, lay back in the -luxuriously furnished dormitory of the Riggs’ Turkish Bath and puffed -contentedly at his cigar. He paid no attention to three be-sheeted men -who were talking together as they lounged at one end of the room. - -“Who was the pretty girl you were dancing with yesterday afternoon at -the Shoreham, Jimmie?” questioned the eldest of the three men. - -“Janet Fordyce.” Jimmie Painter’s voice was of the carrying kind, and -as the name reached his ears the traveler sat bolt upright, but the -men, engrossed in their conversation, failed to observe his attention. -“A winner, isn’t she, Logan?” continued Jimmie complacently. - -“Yes, trust you to pick ’em,” grumbled Logan, “and to cultivate them -afterwards, too. Who is she?” - -“Daughter of Calderon Fordyce, the Western importer of----” - -“Opium--tainted money,” jeered his companion. - -“What difference? Its buying qualities make it refined gold.” - -“You weren’t the only one bowled over by the Fordyce girl,” remarked -the youngest member of the group. “She made quite an impression on -Chichester Barnard.” - -“Nothing doing there, Cooper!” exclaimed Jimmie Painter skeptically. -“Chichester’s not the kind to be attracted by a débutante; besides, -he’s too gone on Marjorie Langdon.” - -“Not so gone he doesn’t keep his weather eye out,” retorted Joe -Calhoun-Cooper. “As far as Miss Langdon’s concerned it’s attention -without intention. She’s as poor as Job’s turkey.” - -“I hear she’s crazy about Chichester,” volunteered Logan. “By Jove! if -I was first favorite, I’d marry Miss Langdon and risk poverty.” - -“Too Utopian,” commented Joe. “Better choose a golden ‘Bud’--they are -the only kind worth plucking in Washington.” - -“I agree with you,” put in Jimmie Painter. “Do you suppose old Calderon -Fordyce will come across with the money bags when his daughter marries?” - -“I’m told he’s rolling in wealth,” acknowledged Joe. “But for all that, -you’d better go slow, Jimmie; there’s some kink in the family.” - -“What do you mean?” - -“An intimate friend said----” Joe never finished the sentence, for an -iron hand jerked him to his feet and swung him about face. - -“I have been an unwilling listener to your conversation,” said the -traveler slowly, addressing the astounded men, and not loosening -his hold on Joe. “You can congratulate yourselves that you live in -Washington; such discussion of women would not be tolerated elsewhere. -I give you fair warning, each and all of you, if you mention Miss -Fordyce’s name in future conversations I will break every bone in your -bodies.” - -It was no idle threat; the sheet had slipped from the traveler’s broad -shoulders, disclosing the brawn and build of an athlete. - -“You understand me,” he added, his level glance seeking Joe’s, and his -vice-like grip tightened until the bones cracked. - -“Yes, d-mn you!” muttered Joe, through clenched teeth. “Let go.” - -“Who the ---- are you?” gasped Jimmie, hastily retreating beyond the -traveler’s reach. - -“Miss Fordyce’s brother--Duncan Fordyce,” was the calm reply, and Joe, -released suddenly, collapsed on his couch. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -MISSING - - -“YOU are, then, absolutely positive that Miss Langdon called up Mr. -Barnard the last thing before leaving this room yesterday afternoon?” -questioned Rear Admiral Lawrence, with such quiet persistence that -pretty Nurse Allen opened her eyes in wonder. - -“I cannot swear that it was the last thing Miss Langdon did before -leaving here,” she answered, somewhat dryly. “I only know I found -her at the telephone when I came in to ring up Dr. McLane, and I -overheard her address the person she was speaking to over the wire as -‘Chichester,’ and tell him it was important that she see him.” - -“Did Miss Langdon appear agitated?” - -Nurse Allen shook her head. “Her manner seemed to be the same as usual; -but she looked pale and tired.” - -“Was Miss Langdon holding this photograph in her hand?” As he spoke the -Admiral fumbled among the papers on his desk and knocked to the floor -the picture he was seeking. Muttering an ejaculation, he stooped to get -it, but Nurse Allen was before him and, her color heightened by her -hasty exertion, picked up the photograph. She barely glanced at the -kodak likeness of Chichester Barnard, but she read the message scrawled -across the bottom: “Love’s young dream--à la bonne heure! C. B.,” -before replacing the photograph on the desk. - -“It may have been in Miss Langdon’s hand,” she said indifferently. “I -was only here for a second, as Sam brought me word that Dr. McLane had -come and I hurried back to Mrs. Lawrence. I really can give you no -information about the photograph.” - -“Oh, no matter; I found it lying by the telephone. I suppose----” -the Admiral broke off abstractedly and drummed with nervous fingers -on the back of the chair against which he was leaning. In the pause -Nurse Allen permitted her eyes to wander downward to the photograph -lying face upward near her, and a ghost of a smile touched her mobile -lips. Clever as she was in her chosen profession, she was not, in this -instance, a discriminating observer, and utterly failed to connect the -scrawled message on the photograph with the faint mockery traceable -in Chichester Barnard’s expressive eyes. The snap-shot was a good -likeness, and Barnard’s fine physique and handsome features were -reproduced without flattery. - -“Can you tell me how long Miss Langdon remained alone in this room?” -asked Admiral Lawrence suddenly arousing himself. - -“No, sir, I have no idea. I did not come here again, until you sent for -me this morning.” - -The Admiral stepped over to the window and raised the Holland shade -until the room was flooded with sunlight. - -“I won’t detain you longer,” he announced, turning back to the young -nurse. “You will oblige me greatly by making no mention of our -conversation.” - -“Certainly, sir.” Nurse Allen turned a mystified gaze on her employer -as she walked toward the door. “I’ll be in my room if you want me. The -day nurse is with Mrs. Lawrence now.” - -The Admiral heaved an impatient sigh as the door closed behind her, and -seating himself at his desk turned his attention to several sheets of -manuscript, but they failed to hold his interest. A soft knock at the -library door interrupted him, and he looked up with an air of relief. - -“Come in,” he called. “Oh, good morning, Marjorie,” as a girl appeared -in the doorway. “Aren’t you late this morning?” - -“I was detained,” explained Marjorie Langdon, glancing in some -embarrassment at the Admiral; she had not expected to find him at his -desk. “How is Mrs. Lawrence?” - -“About the same,” a deep sigh accompanied the words. “Dr. McLane holds -out little hope of her recovery. She may live a month, or----” his -gesture of despair completed the sentence. - -“I am grieved to hear it,” Marjorie looked at the Admiral much -distressed. “Is there anything I can do for Mrs. Lawrence?” - -“Thank you, I am afraid not,” he replied, carefully turning his back to -the light. He did not wish even his confidential secretary to read the -anxiety and sorrow written so plainly on his haggard face. His vigils -in the sick-room were breaking down his usually rigid self-control. “Is -there any mail for me?” - -“Yes, sir; I found it on the hall table. There are a number of notes -inquiring about your wife, and a letter from your publisher.” Marjorie -left her typewriter desk and approached the Admiral, letters in hand. -“Do you wish to dictate the answers?” - -“Not just now.” The Admiral took the neatly assorted letters from her -and without examining their contents, tossed them down on his flat-top -desk. “There is a matter of importance”--he stopped and cleared his -throat--“you recall typewriting a codicil to my wife’s will?” - -“Perfectly,” put in Marjorie, as the Admiral paused again. - -“You made a carbon copy?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“Why?” - -“Because your lawyer, Mr. Alvord, thought that Mrs. Lawrence, through -weakness, might spoil her signature on the first sheet, and he wished -to have a second copy at hand if it should be needed.” - -“Do you recall what transpired after the signing of the codicil?” - -“Very distinctly,” replied Marjorie, her surprise at the continued -questioning showing in her manner. “After the witnesses signed the -document, Mr. Alvord returned here to collect his papers. Just as he -was leaving you came in and asked him to leave the signed codicil.” - -“Quite right,” broke in the Admiral. “Mrs. Lawrence wished it left -here, in order to read it again when she felt stronger. Before -returning to my wife, I requested you to put the codicil in my safe....” - -“I carried out your instructions,” declared Marjorie, her heart beating -faster with a nameless dread. - -“By placing the _unsigned_ carbon copy of the codicil in the safe--” -an ironical smile twisted the Admiral’s lips. “You improved on my -instructions.” - -Marjorie’s lovely hazel-gray eyes widened in horror as the meaning of -his words dawned upon her. - -“You are entirely mistaken,” she protested vehemently. “I put the -codicil Mr. Alvord gave me in the safe--upon my word of honor!” - -“I found the unsigned copy there an hour ago,” replied the Admiral -steadily. - -“The other must be there, too,” Marjorie moved impetuously toward the -small safe which was partly hidden from sight by a revolving bookcase. -“Let me look----” - -“It is not necessary.” Marjorie wheeled about and her face crimsoned at -the curtness of his tone. “I have just searched the entire contents of -the safe--the signed codicil is not there.” - -“You must be wrong,” gasped Marjorie. “Mr. Alvord had the carbon copy; -how could I put it in the safe?” - -“I have just telephoned Alvord,” said the Admiral quickly. “He declares -he left the carbon copy on my desk.” - -There was a ghastly pause. The Admiral glanced keenly at his silent -companion, and his eyes lighted in reluctant admiration of her beauty. -Unconscious of his scrutiny, Marjorie studied the pattern of the rug -with unseeing eyes, striving to collect her confused thoughts. - -“Are you engaged to Chichester Barnard?” inquired the Admiral, abruptly. - -The point blank question drove every vestige of color from Marjorie’s -cheeks. Slowly she turned and regarded the Admiral from head to foot. - -“You have no right to ask that question,” she said icily. - -“That is a matter of opinion,” retorted the Admiral heatedly. “I think -circumstances have given me that right. My wife, in this codicil, -revoked her bequest to her nephew, Chichester Barnard”--he stopped -impressively. “Alvord took down my wife’s instructions, then came here -and, without my knowledge, had you typewrite the codicil. The night -nurse, Miss Allen, tells me that after Alvord’s departure she came in -here to use the telephone, and you were talking to Chichester. Is that -true?” - -“Yes, I rang him up,” defiantly. “I have done the same in the past.” - -The Admiral sighed. “Miss Allen informed me that she overheard you tell -Chichester that you must see him at once on a matter of importance.” -He paused, waiting for some comment, but Marjorie stood as if turned -to stone, and he continued more gently, “Come, Marjorie, own up that a -mistaken, loyal impulse to aid and protect a--lover”--Marjorie shivered -and her cold fingers plucked nervously at her gown--“prompted you to -hold back the signed codicil. I will forget the matter if you will -return the document to me.” - -“But I haven’t the codicil,” she protested. - -“You have destroyed it?” leaning intently toward her. - -“No. I have already told you I placed the paper in the safe.” - -The Admiral’s face hardened. “You still stick to----” - -“The truth,” proudly. “I have been your amanuensis for nearly two -years; in that time have I ever lied to you?” - -“No.” - -“Then you must believe my word now.” - -Without replying the Admiral wheeled about in his swivel chair and -looked through the window at the street below. Marjorie could read -nothing from the side view of his face, and her heart sank. Suddenly he -swung back and confronted her again. - -“I think it would be as well if you resigned,” he said, coldly. - -The room swam before Marjorie; she felt half suffocated, then hot anger -came to her rescue, and she pulled herself together. - -“You are treating me with shameful injustice,” she began, her eyes -glowing with indignation. - -“On the contrary, I am most lenient,” retorted the Admiral. “You have -been guilty of a criminal act----” - -“I deny it absolutely,” exclaimed Marjorie passionately. “You have no -grounds for such an accusation.” - -“You had both incentive and opportunity to steal that signed codicil,” -declared the Admiral, paying scant attention to her denial. “Chichester -Barnard stands to lose a hundred thousand dollars by that codicil; -lack of funds prevents him from marrying a poor girl”--Marjorie -winced visibly and bit her lips to hide their trembling. “You were -the last person to leave this room yesterday afternoon; I never came -in here again until this morning. You had the signed codicil in your -possession, you knew the combination of the safe; the carbon copy was -lying on this desk--the substitution was easy!” - -“Supposing your preposterous charge is true,” said Marjorie slowly. -“What good could I hope to accomplish by such a substitution?” - -“After the excitement of signing the codicil, my wife suffered a -relapse, and was not expected to live through the night. If she -dies”--the Admiral shaded his eyes, which had grown moist, with his -hand--“only the unsigned codicil is here; therefore Chichester Barnard, -by the terms of her will, will inherit her bequest. However, my wife -still lives, and when she regains consciousness I shall have her sign -this carbon copy,” opening his desk drawer and removing a folded paper. -“After all, you were only partially successful.” - -“To succeed, one must first undertake,” retorted Marjorie. “Tell me, -please, if you thought I would betray your trust, why did you give me -the codicil to place in the safe?” - -“First, because I was not aware you knew the contents of the paper; -secondly, I never knew there was a carbon copy; thirdly, my wife’s -precarious condition effectually put out of my mind your infatuation -for Chichester Barnard.” - -“My infatuation?” echoed Marjorie, a slow, painful blush creeping up -her white cheeks. “You are hardly complimentary, Admiral.” - -“Put it any way you wish,” he replied wearily. “I must ask you to hurry -and gather your belongings, Miss Langdon, for I must return to my wife.” - -“I shan’t be a minute.” Stung by his tone, Marjorie hurried to her desk -and rapidly put the drawers in order. As she covered the typewriter she -paused and gazed about the pleasant, sunlit room through tear-dimmed -eyes. She had spent many happy hours there, for both Admiral and Mrs. -Lawrence had done much to make her comfortable, and the work had been -interesting and comparatively easy. What had induced the Admiral -to credit so monstrous a charge against her? She stiffened with -indignation, and picking up the key of her desk, walked over to him. He -looked up at her approach, and the full light from the window betrayed -the increasing lines and wrinkles about his mouth and eyes. His hair -had whitened, and his usually ruddy cheeks were pale. - -“Here is the key of my desk,” she said, laying it down before him. “The -carbon copy of your book is in the right-hand drawer, and your official -and business correspondence fills the other drawers. Will you please -examine them before I leave.” - -He rose in silence and went swiftly through the contents of the -typewriter desk. “Everything is correct,” he acknowledged, noting with -inward approval the neat and orderly arrangement of his correspondence. - -“Then I will leave; my hat and coat are downstairs,” and with a formal -bow Marjorie turned toward the door. - -“One moment;” the Admiral stepped back to his own desk. “You forget -your check; I have made it out for one month in advance, in lieu of -notice.” - -Mechanically Marjorie’s fingers closed over the slip of paper extended -to her; then she drew her slender, graceful figure erect. - -“I am a girl, alone in the world,” she said clearly. “I have had to -take your insults today, but thank God, I can refuse to take your -money.” - -The torn check fell in a tiny shower at the Admiral’s feet as the hall -door banged to behind her vanishing figure. - -The seconds had slipped into minutes before the Admiral moved; then he -dropped into his desk chair. - -“What does she see in Chichester?” he muttered. “What is there about -that scoundrel which attracts women? Where’s that photograph?” - -But his search was unavailing; the photograph had disappeared. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -QUESTIONS AND QUERIES - - -MARJORIE LANGDON contemplated her small wardrobe as it lay spread out -before her on the bed, and then gazed at the passbook open in her hand. -She saw the slender balance remaining to her credit at the bank through -diminishing glasses, and despair tugged at her heart-strings. - -“The way of the bread-winner is hard,” she paraphrased bitterly. “I -don’t wonder there are so many transgressors in the world. Bless my -soul, Minerva, what do you want?” - -The colored woman, who had entered the bedroom unnoticed a second -before, actually jumped at the sharpness of Marjorie’s usually tranquil -voice. - -“’Scuse me, miss; but I knocked an’ knocked at de do’ ’till I was plum’ -tired. My, ain’t dem pretty?” catching a glimpse of the dresses on the -bed. “Is ye fixin’ ter go ter a party?” - -“Not exactly,” wearily. “I am sorry I kept you waiting, but I -was--thinking.” - -“Yes, miss; I heard yo’ a talkin’ ter yo’self, an’ calculated yo’ -didn’t hyar me.” Minerva backed toward the door. “Lunch am ready.” - -“Is it time?” exclaimed Marjorie, glancing in surprise at her -wrist-watch, whose hands pointed to three minutes past one. “I’ll be -right down; tell Madame Yvonett not to wait for me.” - -“Marse Tom’s hyar,” volunteered Minerva, as she disappeared over the -threshold, closing the door behind her. - -Left to herself, Marjorie bathed her face, the cool water bringing some -relief to her throbbing temples, then after rearranging her hair, she -paused a moment and anxiously regarded her reflection in the mirror. -Except for an increased pallor, her expression gave no indication of -the shock the stormy interview with Admiral Lawrence had given her. -Feverishly pinching her cheeks in hopes of restoring her customary -color, and without stopping to replace her gowns in the closet, she -left the room and ran downstairs. - -Six years previous Marjorie’s father, John Langdon, had died a -bankrupt, and his worldly possessions had gone under the hammer to meet -the demands of his creditors. His widow, never very strong, had soon -succumbed to the unequal struggle for existence that confronted her, -and after the death of her mother, Marjorie had made her home with -her great-aunt, Madame Yvonett, who owned a small house on Thirteenth -Street, opposite Franklin Square. She insisted on contributing her -share to the household expenses, for Madame Yvonett had trusted her -business affairs to her nephew’s management, and when John Langdon -failed, most of her property had gone in the general smash, and she -eked out her curtailed income by taking paying guests. - -Madame Yvonett, a Philadelphian by birth, belonged to a distinguished -Quaker family, and at the age of sixteen had been, as the quaint term -runs, “read out of meeting for marrying one of the world’s people.” -Henri Yvonett had wooed and won the beautiful Quakeress when attached -to the French Legation, as it was then, and afterwards he was promoted -to other diplomatic posts. On his death some eighteen years before, -Madame Yvonett had made Washington her home, and her house became one -of the centers of fashionable life. - -Her financial difficulties came when she was approaching three-score -years and ten, but only Marjorie divined the pang that her changed -fortunes cost the beautiful Quaker dame, for she never discussed her -troubles in public. She faced adversity with quiet fortitude; gave -up her handsome residence on Scott Circle, dismissed her staff of -servants, and moved into the Thirteenth Street house, which had been -one of her investments in happier days. - -Marjorie hastened into the dining-room and found her great-aunt in -animated conversation with her cousin, Captain Thomas Nichols, of the ---th Field Artillery, who rose at her entrance. - -“How are you, Madge?” he exclaimed, extending both hands in greeting. - -“Very well, and very glad to see you,” she replied cordially. “Aunt -Yvonett, I am sorry to be late, do excuse me.” - -“Thee is only a few minutes behind time, and Thomas has kept me very -agreeably entertained,” answered the Quakeress. She had always retained -her “plain speech,” and in her dress, the soft grays and browns of -the Friends. Silvery curls framed a face of the eighteenth-century -type, and, with arms, still rounded and white, showing below her elbow -sleeves, with the folds of a white fichu across her breast, she made -a novel and lovely picture as she sat at the head of the table. “Will -thee have some tea?” she asked. - -“If you please.” Marjorie slipped into a seat opposite her aunt. “What -brings you over from Fort Myer, Tom?” - -“Had to go to the War Department. Try some of these beaten biscuit, -Madge, Minerva has excelled herself,” smiling gaily at the colored -woman. “I thought Cousin Yvonett would take pity on me and give me a -bite.” - -“I am always pleased to see thee, Thomas,” answered Madame Yvonett. -“But if thee only wants a bite, thee should join the ‘Hunger Club.’” - -“The ‘Hunger Club’?” echoed Tom. “It doesn’t sound encouraging; is it -anything like the ‘starvation parties’ in Richmond before that city -surrendered to Grant?” - -“Only alike in that they both leave much to be desired,” smiled Madame -Yvonett. “The club was organized two weeks ago by eleven wealthy women; -the twelfth place being left for an invited guest. A prize will be -awarded at the end of the season to the hostess who has given the most -appetizing luncheon for the least money.” - -“How are they going to know how much each luncheon costs?” - -“The hostess is required to write the price of every course on the back -of the place cards. The object of the club is to encourage simplified -living in fashionable circles,” she went on to explain. “I was the -invited guest at the luncheon yesterday.” - -“Did you get anything to eat?” inquired Tom. - -“She ate something before she went,” supplemented Marjorie -mischievously. - -“Only some biscuits and a glass of sherry,” protested Madame Yvonett. -“Thee sees, Thomas, I do not like to have my digestion upset, and I -took precautions; a cold water luncheon never agrees with me.” - -“Didn’t they give you anything solid to eat?” - -“Yes; the luncheon, such as there was of it, was very nice. But the -discussion of the food and its price quite destroyed my appetite.” - -“You prefer a soupçon of gossip to season a delicacy,” teased Tom. “I -bet you christened it the ‘Hunger Club.’” - -“Your invitation read ‘to meet the Economy Luncheon Club,’” Marjorie -reminded her aunt. - -Madame Yvonett smiled as she helped herself to some butter. “Did thee -not return earlier than usual from the Lawrences’, Marjorie?” she asked. - -Involuntarily Marjorie stiffened; she had dreaded the question. She -dared not tell her aunt of Admiral Lawrence’s accusation. Their -physician had warned her that Madame Yvonett must not be excited, or -she would bring on one of her heart attacks. The last seizure two -months before had been most severe, Marjorie having found her aunt -lying unconscious on the floor of her bedroom. Knowing Madame Yvonett’s -indomitable spirit she realized that nothing, save perhaps physical -weakness, would prevent her from seeing Admiral Lawrence and demanding -an instant retraction of his charge against her niece. Such scenes -would undoubtedly bring on a return of her heart trouble, perhaps with -fatal results. Marjorie turned cold at the thought; Madame Yvonett was -very dear to her. But what excuse could she give for her dismissal -except the truth? - -“I hear Mrs. Lawrence is not expected to live,” said Tom, breaking the -slight pause. - -“Who told you that?” demanded Marjorie. - -“Chichester Barnard; I met him on my way here. By the way, he wished -me to tell you he would not be able to go to Mrs. Marsh’s tea with -you this afternoon on account of a business engagement,” he glanced -curiously at her, but Marjorie was occupied in making bread pellets and -it was several seconds before she spoke. - -“Mrs. Lawrence is critically ill. The Admiral is constantly at her -bedside, and he cannot attend to his book, so Aunt Yvonett,” looking -gravely at her, “my services are not required.” - -“I am glad that thee is to have a vacation,” replied the Quakeress; -“but I am distressed to hear that Mrs. Lawrence is worse; she is a -lovely woman, her husband can ill spare her.” - -“You must come over and spend the day at my quarters, Cousin Yvonett, -now that Madge has time at her disposal,” broke in Tom. “The drills are -being held every Friday afternoon, and I know you enjoy them.” - -“Thee is most kind, and if the weather permits we will come. Who was -thy friend who came to the door with thee this morning, Thomas?” - -“Joe Cooper. I didn’t bring him in, Cousin Yvonett, because, to be -frank, I don’t fancy the fellow.” - -“I thought he was quite nice,” announced Marjorie, arousing from her -abstraction. “He is certainly most obliging.” - -“Boot-licking,” with scornful emphasis. - -“That’s hardly fair,” exclaimed Marjorie. “He had nothing to gain by -being nice to me, and secondly, his father, J. Calhoun-Cooper, is a -representative in Congress, and I am told, is very wealthy.” - -“He has money,” acknowledged Tom grudgingly, “and that’s about all. -Joe’s grandfather started his fortune digging ditches in Philadelphia.” - -“I know now of whom thee speaks,” interposed Madame Yvonett. “But thee -is mistaken; he didn’t dig ditches, he paved streets. Brother Hugh -helped John Cooper to get his start in life; at one time he slept in -our barn chamber.” - -“I’d like Joe to hear that,” chuckled Tom. “He and I were at -Lawrenceville together, and I had enough of his purse-pride there. The -Calhoun-Coopers--don’t forget the hyphen, Cousin Yvonett--have leased -your old house on Scott Circle.” - -Marjorie, her observation quickened by the deep love and veneration in -which she held her aunt, detected the shadow which crossed the benign -old face and the dimming of the bright eyes as memories of other days -crowded upon the Quakeress, and she swiftly changed the subject. - -“Cousin Rebekah Graves is coming this afternoon to spend the winter -with us,” she volunteered. “What day can we bring her to Fort Myer, -Tom?” - -“Come this Friday----” he stopped speaking as Minerva appeared from the -hall and approached Marjorie. - -“Hyar’s a note done come fo’ yo’, Miss Marjorie, and de chuffer’s -waitin’ fo’ an answer.” - -Marjorie scanned the fine, precise writing; it was not a hand she -recognized, and handwriting to her was like a photograph. Excusing -herself, she tore open the envelope and perused the note. - -“Listen to this, Aunt Yvonett,” she began and read aloud: - - Sheridan Circle. - - “DEAR MISS LANGDON: - - I had expected to make your acquaintance before this date, but moving - into my new home has occupied all my time. Can you come and take tea - with me this afternoon at five o’clock? I am an old school friend of - your mother’s, and as such I hope you will overlook the informality of - my invitation. Trusting that I shall see you later, believe me, - - Sincerely yours, - Wednesday. FLORA FORDYCE.” - -“It must be Janet Fordyce’s mother,” added Marjorie. “They have bought -the Martin house. Who was Mrs. Calderon Fordyce before her marriage, -Aunt Yvonett?” - -Madame Yvonett shook her head. “I cannot tell thee. I was abroad when -thy mother was a schoolgirl, and knew none of her classmates. Will thee -accept Mrs. Fordyce’s invitation?” - -“Of course. Cousin Rebekah’s train arrives at three-thirty; I will have -plenty of time to meet her and bring her here first. I must answer -Mrs. Fordyce’s note,” and pushing back her chair she hastened into the -parlor which was fitted up as a living-room. She was sealing her note -when Tom Nichols joined her. - -“Let me give it to the chauffeur,” he exclaimed, taking the envelope -from her. “I’ll come right back.” - -Marjorie was still sitting before the mahogany desk when Tom returned. -“May I smoke?” he inquired, pulling out his cigarette-case. - -She nodded absently; then turned and studied him covertly as he stood -by the fireplace intent on lighting his cigarette, his well-knit, -soldierly figure silhouetted against the flickering light from the wood -fire blazing on the hearth. They were second cousins, and since his -detail with his battery at Fort Myer, Virginia, she had grown to know -and admire the fine qualities and kindly heart carefully hidden under -his off-hand manner. She debated whether she should take him into her -confidence. He was her nearest male relative; he would surely advise -her how best to refute Admiral Lawrence’s charge, and help her to prove -her innocence of the theft of the codicil. - -“Where is Aunt Yvonett?” she asked suddenly. - -“She went upstairs to lie down.” Tom threw a half-burnt match into -the fire, crossed the room, and sat down facing Marjorie. “What’s up, -Madge?” he questioned gravely. “You are not a bit like yourself. Won’t -you tell me the cause?” - -“I had just decided to ask your advice; thank you for making it -easier for me,” a pitiful little smile accompanied the words, and Tom -impulsively clasped her hand in his. - -“Little Cousin,” he began earnestly. “I don’t like to see you so -constantly with Chichester Barnard. I am sure he is making you unhappy.” - -Marjorie whitened to her lips. “I, unhappy?” she exclaimed. “No, you -overestimate his abilities.” - -“No I don’t; Chichester is more than merely handsome, he is -fascinating; and his influence is the greater.” - -Marjorie rose slowly to her feet and a long sigh escaped her. - -“After all, Tom, I don’t believe I’ll confide in you--you would not -understand.” - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -TEMPTING FATE - - -MARJORIE, on her way out to keep her appointment with Mrs. Calderon -Fordyce, paused in the hall to examine the mail which Minerva, deeply -engrossed in the arrival of Miss Rebekah Graves, had deposited on the -hat-stand and forgotten. Two of the envelopes contained circulars, and -she tossed them back on the marble stand, but the third was a note from -their family lawyer curtly informing Marjorie that the savings bank -in which Madame Yvonett kept a small reserve account, had failed, and -asking her to break the news to her aunt. - -Marjorie stumbled back and leaned weakly against the newel post, her -strength stricken from her. All that Madame Yvonett had been able to -save--gone! Oh, it was too cruel to be believed! From upstairs came the -sound of voices, and her aunt’s merry laugh rang out cheerily. “The -lightest heart makes sometimes heaviest mourning”--the words recurred -to Marjorie as she started blindly up the stairs, the lawyer’s letter -still clutched in her hand. - -She found her aunt in her bedroom talking to Miss Rebekah Graves, a -spinster whose brusque and didactic manner often gave offense. She -had also a most annoying habit of dragging in her religious beliefs -in ordinary conversation, and her intimate knowledge of the divine -intentions of Providence was a constant source of wonder to her -friends. Opposite as they were in character and beliefs, she and Madame -Yvonett were warmly attached to each other, and Marjorie was thankful -for the spinster’s presence, fearing as she did that her bad news might -give Madame Yvonett another heart attack. As gently as she could she -told her aunt of her financial loss. - -“Thee means, child, that my money is gone?” asked Madame Yvonett dully, -as Marjorie came to a breathless pause. - -“Yes. The bank has failed....” - -“The Lord’s will be done!” ejaculated Miss Rebekah in devout -resignation. - -“Thee is wrong, Rebekah; thy God and mine had no hand in the bank’s -failure,” retorted Madame Yvonett, her keen sense of humor dominating -her impulse to cry as the realization of her loss dawned upon her. “The -devil who tempts men to wickedness has wrought _his_ will in this. What -is thee giving me, Marjorie?” - -“Some cognac; you must take it, Aunt Yvonett,” noting the pallor -stealing upward and the trembling of the bravely smiling lips. “You -must not worry, dearie,” handing her the wineglass. “I have a feeling -luck is going to change....” - -“Misfortunes never come singly,” prophesied Miss Rebekah, her -pessimistic spirit surrendering at once to dismal forebodings. - -“Rot!” exclaimed Marjorie, darting an indignant glance at the spinster, -who bridled at the disrespectful intonation of her voice. “You are not -to worry, Aunt Yvonett; I’ll recover that money by hook or by crook. -Cousin Becky will look after you until I return from seeing Mrs. -Fordyce. I won’t be any longer than I can help,” and gathering up her -belongings, she departed. - -The clocks were just chiming the hour of five when Marjorie reached her -destination, and a footman in imposing livery showed her at once into -the drawing-room. - -“Miss Langdon,” he announced, and disappeared behind the silken -portières. - -At first Marjorie thought she was alone as she advanced into the room, -then her eyes, grown accustomed to the softly shaded lights, detected a -small, white-haired woman sitting in a large easy chair who rose as she -drew nearer, and Marjorie saw that she was a hunchback. - -“I am glad you have come,” she said, taking the hand Marjorie held -out in both her own, and leading her gently forward. “But, my dear, -I thought you were much older,” her eyes traveling over the girl’s -beautifully molded features and small, well-set head. The November -wind had restored the roses in Marjorie’s cheeks, and she made a -charming picture in her well-cut calling costume and becoming hat, -both presents from a wealthy friend who had gone into mourning. “It was -years ago that your mother wrote me of your birth....” - -“Perhaps she told you of my sister who died,” suggested Marjorie. “She -was eight years my senior.” - -“That must have been it; pull up that chair,” Mrs. Fordyce added, -resuming her seat. “My husband and I went to the Orient shortly after -her letter, and gradually my correspondence with your mother ceased; -but I have many happy memories of our school days. Perhaps you have -heard her speak of me--Flora McPherson?” - -“Of course, how stupid of me!” exclaimed Marjorie, suddenly -enlightened. “Mother often told me of your pranks at boarding-school.” - -“I was well and strong in those days.” A slight sigh escaped Mrs. -Fordyce. “This curvature of the spine developed from injuries received -in a railroad wreck. Your mother would never recognize her old -play-fellow now;” a suspicious moisture dimmed her eyes, and she added -hastily, “Throw off your wraps, my dear, and make yourself comfortable. -I want to have a long talk with you.” - -Obediently Marjorie threw back her furs and loosened her coat, as a -velvet-footed servant entered with the tea-tray and placed it on the -table by Mrs. Fordyce, and deftly arranged the cups and saucers. He -left the room to return in a moment carrying a “Curate’s delight” -filled with plates of delicious sandwiches and cake. - -“How will you have your tea?” asked Mrs. Fordyce, removing the cover -from the Dutch silver caddy and placing some of the leaves in the -teapot while she waited for the water to boil in the kettle. - -“Moderately strong, one lump of sugar, and lemon,” replied Marjorie. - -“Our tastes are similar; I hope it’s a good omen,” smiled Mrs. Fordyce. -“Try some of these sandwiches.” - -“How did you discover that I am the daughter of your old friend?” -inquired Marjorie. - -“Mrs. Nicholas McIntyre, who was at Emma Willard’s school at the same -time your mother and I were boarders there, told me of you. She admires -you greatly.” - -“Bless her heart!” ejaculated Marjorie warmly. “She has been lovely to -me since mother’s death. I didn’t know she had returned to Washington.” - -“I don’t believe she has. I met her in New York just before coming -here, and she advised me----” she broke off abruptly. “How old are you?” - -“I have just passed my twenty-fourth birthday.” - -“You don’t look a day over eighteen.” Mrs. Fordyce frowned perplexedly -at the singing teakettle. “Mrs. McIntyre said you were private -secretary to Admiral Lawrence....” - -“I have been,” interrupted Marjorie, “but I am with him no longer.” - -“Then you could come to me--but”--checking herself. “You are so -young----” - -“Why should my age, or lack of it, be a bar to my doing secretary -work?” questioned Marjorie, looking in puzzled surprise at her -hostess. “I write a fair hand, I am a moderately good stenographer and -typewriter, and if you need a social secretary....” - -“But I don’t require a secretary,” said Mrs. Fordyce. “I want an -official chaperon for my daughter, Janet.” - -“Oh!” The ejaculation escaped Marjorie unwittingly, and she flushed -slightly, fearing the older woman might be displeased by her open -astonishment. But Mrs. Fordyce, teacup poised in air, sat gazing -intently at her, oblivious of her confusion. Apparently what she saw -pleased her, for she came to a sudden resolution. - -“I am going to make you a proposition,” she began, and Marjorie’s hopes -rose. “My infirmity prevents my accepting formal invitations, so I -cannot accompany my daughter to entertainments. I do not want Janet to -go alone, nor do I wish her to be dependent on the kindness of friends -to see that she has a good time. I expected to find you older; however, -on second’s thought, that doesn’t matter so much. Janet would far -rather have a companion than a stately dowager as chaperon. Will you -accept the position?” - -“What will be my--my duties?” stammered Marjorie, somewhat overwhelmed -at the task offered her. - -“To accompany Janet to dances, the theater, and call with her, and -preside at any entertainments we may give for her. See that she meets -the right people, and wears the proper clothes,” wound up Mrs. -Fordyce. “Your salary will be a hundred and fifty dollars a month.” - -“Oh, Mrs. Fordyce, that’s entirely too much,” protested Marjorie, -aghast. - -“You will earn it,” retorted Mrs. Fordyce. “The demands on your time -will be very great. Come to think of it, I believe you had better spend -the winter here with us.” - -“Here? In this house?” Marjorie’s eyes grew big with wonder. “I--I -don’t believe I could leave Aunt Yvonett----” she stopped abruptly. -After all her aunt would not be alone; Cousin Rebekah Graves would -take most watchful care of her; she would not be greatly missed at the -little house in Thirteenth Street, in fact, it would mean one mouth -less to feed. With such a salary, she could turn over fully a hundred -and twenty-five dollars a month to her aunt; the money would be sorely -needed now that the bank’s failure had carried away Madame Yvonett’s -small hoard. - -If she accepted Mrs. Fordyce’s offer, her lines would fall in pleasant -places. Marjorie glanced with increasing satisfaction about the large, -well-proportioned room with its costly hangings, handsome furniture, -and rare bric-a-brac. She was a bit of a Sybarite, and the beautiful -things, the outward and visible signs of wealth about her, satisfied -that craving. To go to dances, theaters, and dinners--what more could a -girl want? - -Her eyes wandered back to Mrs. Fordyce, who sat patiently awaiting her -decision. Except for the ugly, curved back, the older woman, in her -dainty teagown, might have been a piece of Dresden china, so pink and -white were her unwrinkled cheeks, and her features finely chiseled. -Her dark, delicately arched eyebrows were in sharp contrast to her -snow-white hair. Mrs. Fordyce had a simplicity and charm of manner -which endeared her to high and low. As Marjorie encountered the full -gaze of her handsome eyes, she almost cried out, so much pathos and -hidden tragedy was in their dark depths. She rose impulsively to her -feet. - -“Mrs. Fordyce,” she said, “I will gladly accept, but----wait,” she -stumbled in her speech. “Admiral Lawrence dismissed me this morning -because--because a valuable paper was missing.” - -There was a moment’s pause. - -“Did you steal the paper?” asked Mrs. Fordyce quietly. Marjorie winced, -but her eyes never wavered before the other’s calm regard. - -“No.” The monosyllable was clear and unfaltering. “But Admiral Lawrence -believes I did.” - -Marjorie found the lengthening silence intolerable. Her hands crept -up to her coat and she buttoned it, then she commenced putting on her -gloves. - -“When can you come to me?” inquired Mrs. Fordyce finally. - -“You--you want me?” Marjorie advanced a step, half-incredulous. “After -what I’ve just told you?” - -“I do.” - -“Oh, you good woman!” With a swift, graceful movement Marjorie stooped -and laid her lips to the blue-veined hand resting on the chair arm. - -“I flatter myself I’m a woman of some perception,” replied Mrs. -Fordyce, coloring warmly. “And truth doesn’t always lie at the bottom -of a well.” - -Half an hour later all details of her engagement as chaperon were -satisfactorily settled, and bidding Mrs. Fordyce a warm good-night, -Marjorie, lighter hearted than she had been in many a day, tripped -down the hall and through the front door held open by a deferential -footman. As she gained the sidewalk a limousine turned in under the -porte-cochère and stopped before the door she had just left. Pausing to -readjust her furs, she saw a familiar figure spring out of the motor, -and a well-known voice said clearly: - -“Look out for that step, Miss Fordyce,” and Chichester Barnard caught -his companion’s arm in time to save her from a fall as she descended -from the motor. - -Marjorie watched them enter the lighted vestibule, her thoughts in -riot. Chichester Barnard’s “business engagement” had not prevented his -dancing attendance upon another girl--and she, Marjorie Langdon, was to -be that girl’s official chaperon. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -GIVE AND TAKE - - -“DOES everything look in order in the dining-room, Duncan?” inquired -Mrs. Fordyce anxiously, on her son’s entrance, laying down the magazine -she was reading. - -“Of course it is, dear mother,” he replied, sitting down on the -lounge beside her. “You can always trust Perkins to arrange the table -decorations to the Queen’s taste. Why so anxious tonight?” - -“It is our first dinner-party in Washington, and I want everything to -go off well for Janet’s sake. First impressions count for so much.” - -Duncan laughed outright. “You, mother, worrying about a simple dinner -of sixteen? Your Beacon Street ancestors will disown you.” - -“My dear, Beacon Street traditions and Washington etiquette have to -assimilate slowly. The official and diplomatic life here presents many -pitfalls for the unwary, and Janet is young....” - -“But you have provided her with a chaperon.” Duncan yawned as he -arranged his white tie. - -“The chaperon isn’t any too old,” confessed Mrs. Fordyce. She had not -taken her family entirely into her confidence in referring to Marjorie, -contenting herself with mentioning the fact, two days before, that she -had engaged a chaperon for Janet, a statement which raised a storm of -protest on that young débutante’s part. - -“Then why in the world did you engage her?” asked Duncan. - -Mrs. Fordyce debated the question. “Mrs. McIntyre assured me she was -altogether charming, and most popular. She said she knew Washington’s -complex social system to a dot....” - -“And we are to supply the dash?” Duncan shrugged his broad shoulders. -“Apparently you have secured a domestic treasure; well, your plan may -work out all right, but, mother, I don’t like the idea of your retiring -so much from social life.” - -“With my infirmity I cannot face strangers; don’t ask me, dear.” - -“Mother! As if anyone ever thinks of that after they have once met -you,” exclaimed Duncan, greatly touched by the unuttered grief in Mrs. -Fordyce’s eyes, and he gave her an impulsive hug. - -“Here, here, this will never do,” protested a hearty voice from the -other end of the boudoir. “Duncan, my boy, do you realize there are -young ‘buds’ downstairs waiting for your fond embraces?” - -“Oh, get out!” retorted Duncan undutifully. - -“Are our guests arriving, Calderon?” asked Mrs. Fordyce in some alarm. -“And you are not in the drawing-room?” - -“Perhaps they haven’t come just yet,” admitted her husband. “Don’t -take me too literally, Flora. Where did you pick up the chaperon?” - -“She came to me highly recommended,” said Mrs. Fordyce, her placid -manner undisturbed. “You were not in town, Calderon----” - -“As if that would have made any difference?” he chuckled. “My dearest, -your wish is law in this house; if you want a dozen chaperons you shall -have them. I predict, Duncan,” turning to his son who had risen and was -lazily stretching himself, “that with Janet and her chaperon on deck, -we shall have a lively winter.” - -“Back to the wilds for me!” retorted Duncan. “Tell me, mother, did your -chaperon pick out our guests tonight?” - -“Oh, no; Janet selected the young girls and men who have already shown -her attention, the invitations were sent out over ten days ago. You -see, in place of giving a big reception to introduce Janet, I plan to -have a series of weekly dinner-dances.” - -“What is the name of your paragon?” asked Duncan. - -“Marjorie Langdon, her mother was an old school friend of mine.” - -“The name sounds familiar,” Duncan wrinkled his brow in puzzled thought. - -“Go down and meet her and then you’ll be certain about it,” put in his -father. “Now, Flora, will you give me your attention....” - -Taking the hint Duncan strode to the door and vanished. As he reached -the head of the staircase he heard his name called, and turning -around, saw Janet standing before the elevator shaft. He retraced his -steps and joined her, and they entered the lift together. - -“How do I look, Duncan?” she asked eagerly, turning slowly around for -his inspection, as the automatic car shot downward. - -“The gown’s all right; the worst piece is in the middle,” he teased, -glancing admiringly at her blond prettiness. She was dressed in -exquisite taste, and her suddenly acquired grown-up manner sat quaintly -upon her. Her slightly offended expression caused him to add hastily: -“I like your hair arranged that way.” - -“I do think it’s becoming,” admitted Janet, twisting about in the -lift so as to catch a better glimpse of herself in the tiny mirror. -“Marjorie Langdon dressed it for me. Do you know, Duncan, I believe I’m -going to like her.” - -He was saved from comment by the stopping of the lift, and Janet, her -dignity flying to the four winds, scampered over to the drawing-room. -Duncan followed her more slowly, and paused abruptly at the threshold -of the room on perceiving a tall girl arranging roses in a vase, on one -of the empire tables. - -Marjorie Langdon belonged to a type which appears to greater advantage -in evening dress than in street costume, and with half-cynical, wholly -critical eyes Duncan studied the girl, who, unaware of his presence, -stood with her profile turned toward him. In her shimmering white gown, -which suited her perfectly, and her color heightened by the excitement -of her first official appearance in the Fordyce house, she was well -worth a second look. - -“Lord! she needs a chaperon herself,” Duncan muttered under his -breath, then stepped toward her as Marjorie looked in his direction. -“I shall have to present myself, Miss Langdon--Duncan Fordyce,” he -said pleasantly. “My sister Janet is too much excited to remember the -formalities.” - -“I beg your pardon,” broke in Janet from the window seat. “I thought -you two had met.” - -Successfully concealing her surprise under a friendly smile, Marjorie -shook his hand cordially; until that moment she had not known of Duncan -Fordyce’s existence. “When did you come to Washington?” she inquired. - -“Three days ago----” the arrival of his father and several other men -interrupted his speech. - -Ten minutes later the last guest had arrived, and Duncan, keeping up a -detached conversation with a nervous débutante, watched Marjorie with -increasing interest. Her youth might be against her as a chaperon, but -her poise and good breeding left nothing to be desired. No sign of -awkwardness was discernible in her manner as she stood by Janet’s side -assisting her in receiving the guests, and Calderon Fordyce, stopping -beside his son, whispered a vehement: “She’ll do.” His attention -distracted, Duncan failed to see one guest’s quickly concealed -astonishment on beholding Marjorie standing beside Janet. - -“You here!” exclaimed Chichester Barnard. “How--how--delightful!” - -“Thank you,” replied Marjorie gently. “I think, Chichester, you are to -take out our hostess, Miss Fordyce,” as the butler and footman parted -the portières. “Ah, Baron von Valkenberg, am I your fate? Suppose -we wait until the others have gone out,” and she stepped back, the -diplomat at her side. - -After the arrival of the ices, Marjorie permitted herself a second’s -relaxation, and sat back in her chair. Both her neighbors were busily -engaged in conversation with the young girls sitting on the other -side of them, and glad of the respite, she glanced about the table. -She had been talking incessantly since the commencement of dinner and -her vocal chords actually ached. Everyone seemed to be having a gay -time, there was no lull in the conversation. Marjorie took in the -handsome silver and glass table appointments, and the beautiful flower -centerpiece with secret satisfaction; the dinner and the service had -been irreproachable. In fact, the ease and quiet elegance of the dinner -recalled her own mother’s delightful hospitality before they lost -their money. Marjorie sighed involuntarily; then her lips stiffened -resolutely. She had, on thinking over Mrs. Fordyce’s proposal, decided -to back out of her engagement, but Madame Yvonett, delighted with the -plan, refused to permit her to withdraw her acceptance, and bag and -baggage she had arrived at the Fordyce residence at five o’clock that -afternoon. - -“Aren’t you going to give me a word?” inquired Duncan, her left-hand -neighbor, turning abruptly to her. “All I’ve seen of you is a pink ear. -Baron von Valkenberg has monopolized you outrageously.” - -“He is a stranger,” replied Marjorie laughing. “He has only been in -this country five weeks; I’ve been trying to make him feel at home.” - -“A very laudable object; but I’m a stranger, too,” protested Duncan. -“You might be nice to me.” - -“But you _are_ at home,” Marjorie’s smile was one of her greatest -charms, and Duncan, all unconscious, fell under its spell. “Is this -your first visit to Washington?” - -“No. When at Yale I used to spend my vacations here with Mrs. McIntyre. -That was ten years ago. Do you know, at the two entertainments I’ve -been to already, I saw some of the people I met here then, and they -knew me.” - -“I’m not surprised; Washington is a place where one is never missed and -never forgotten. Where have you been since leaving Yale?” - -“Knocking about the world,” carelessly. “I’ve just come up from Panama. -Who’s the good-looking man sitting on my sister’s right?” - -“Chichester Barnard.” - -“Oh!” The name struck a chord of memory, and the scene at the Turkish -bath three days before flashed before Duncan and he frowned. Some -telepathy seemed to tell Barnard that he was under discussion, and -catching Marjorie’s eye across the table, he raised his champagne glass -in gay challenge. She lifted hers to her lips in response, and set -it down untasted. “He’s remarkably fine looking,” reiterated Duncan. -“Something Byronic about him.” - -“Yes,” agreed Marjorie; then turned abruptly to Baron von Valkenberg, -who, having refused the sweets, had been for the past five minutes -reaching under the table in a manner which suggested the loss of his -napkin. “What’s the matter, Baron?” - -The young diplomat straightened up suddenly, and gravely replied: “I -sink it is a flea.” - -For a moment gravity was at a discount, then Marjorie, catching Janet’s -eye, rose, and the guests and their hostess trooped back into the -drawing-room. - -The men wasted but a short time over their cigars and liqueur, and -soon the dancing in the ballroom was in full swing. It was after -midnight when Chichester Barnard approached Marjorie and asked for -a dance. There was a barely perceptible pause, then, with a word of -thanks to her former partner, she laid her hand on Barnard’s arm, and -they floated out on the floor. They were two of the best dancers in -Washington, and Duncan, dancing with Janet, watched them with an odd -feeling of unrest. They had circled the room but twice when Barnard -stopped near the entrance to the library. - -“I must talk to you, Madge,” he whispered hurriedly. “Come in here,” -and he led the way to a comfortable leather-covered divan. They had the -room to themselves. “Why didn’t you consult me before coming here as -chaperon.” - -“Because I did not think my affairs interested you further.” - -“Madge!” The soft, caressing voice held a note of keen reproach. “How -can you so misjudge me?” - -But she refused to be placated. “It’s some days since I have seen you,” -she replied wearily. “How is your aunt, Mrs. Lawrence?” - -“About the same, I believe,” shortly. “Tell me, how did you come to -give up your secretary work there?” - -“You ask me that?” A sparkle of anger darkened Marjorie’s eyes, and he -glanced uncomfortably at the mantel clock. “You are better informed as -to what transpires in the Lawrence home than I am.” - -“I don’t know what you mean,” he complained. “Admiral Lawrence has a -grudge against me, witness his advising my aunt to cut me out of her -will; and now I believe he has influenced you to turn against me. -Madge, it’s not like you to go back on a pal,” he added bitterly. - -“I am not the one who has ‘gone back,’” she retorted with spirit. “And -I think it’s best, all things considered, to return you this”--taking -a heavy gold signet ring out of a fold of her bodice and placing it in -his hand. - -He looked at it in stupefied silence for a moment, then threw it -contemptuously on the large library table. - -“Do you think by returning that ring that you can break the tie that -binds me to you, my darling?” he cried, real feeling in voice and -gesture. “That bit of gold is but a symbol of my love--as long as life -lasts, my heart, my homage, are yours.” Her pulse quickened under the -ardor in his eyes. “God! why am I poor!” He struck one fist impotently -in his other palm. “Cannot you understand, my darling, that it hurts me -cruelly to see you living here as a paid chaperon when you should reign -as queen.” - -“Miss Langdon,” called Janet from the doorway. “Our guests are waiting -to say good-bye.” - -Marjorie, dragged once more to earth, started guiltily for the door, -without a glance at her companion. A chaperon had small right to sit in -corners with attractive men. - -After the last guest had departed Marjorie, leaving Janet and her -father and brother discussing the events of the evening, slipped back -into the library. But her search of the table and other pieces of -furniture was fruitless. - -“In spite of his protests, he pocketed the ring,” she muttered, and a -queer smile crossed her lips. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -AT FORT MYER - - -“THIS way, sir; your seats are in the upper gallery,” announced a -cavalry corporal. “Right up here, miss,” and he assisted Janet up -the first steps of the narrow stairway, then made way for Chichester -Barnard who followed her. “Let me see your tickets, please,” continued -the corporal as Duncan Fordyce appeared at his elbow, Marjorie in his -wake. “Very sorry, sir, but these seats are in the north gallery at the -other end of the riding-hall. You’ll have to go outside to get there, -sir.” - -“Thundering devils!” ejaculated Duncan, taking back the two pink -pasteboards. “Mrs. Walbridge sold mother these four tickets. I supposed -the seats were all together. Wait here just a minute, Miss Marjorie, -and I’ll run out to the ticket agent and see if I can’t exchange these -seats for others on this side of the hall.” - -Marjorie nodded a cheerful assent, and in Duncan’s absence watched the -new arrivals swarming into the building. The annual drill, given under -the auspices of the Woman’s Army Relief Society, was a great event, not -only at Fort Myer but in the National Capital and Georgetown as well, -and fashionable society had apparently turned out en masse to attend it. - -“Splendid success, Marjorie,” boomed a voice close to her ear, and -turning she recognized Mrs. Walbridge, majestic in her ermine coat and -nearly two hundred pounds avoirdupois. “The ticket committee told me -the President and most of his Cabinet will be here. The hall is sold -out. Haven’t you a seat, child?” - -“Yes, I am waiting for----” the name was lost in the slamming down of -chairs and the stamping of feet. - -“That’s all right,” exclaimed Mrs. Walbridge, much relieved. “I -couldn’t have you stand. Be sure and bring your escort over to the -Administration Building for tea after the drill,” and she moved -ponderously down the aisle to her seat. - -“Sorry to have been so long,” apologized Duncan, rejoining Marjorie. “I -succeeded in exchanging my tickets for two seats in this lower section. -Come on,” but Marjorie held back, and her face grew troubled. - -“Hadn’t I better go upstairs and sit with your sister, and let Mr. -Barnard join you in these lower seats?” she asked. - -“You take your chaperonage too seriously,” declared Duncan firmly. “I -hardly ever see you alone, Miss Marjorie, and now Fate has given me a -chance to enjoy myself, I decline to have your New England conscience -spoil my fun. But if it will make you feel any easier, I’ll run up and -tell Barnard where we are sitting. Here, Corporal, show this lady to -her chair,” and he turned and dashed upstairs. - -Marjorie slowly followed the non-commissioned officer down the aisle to -the front row, speaking to her different friends as she passed them. -As she made herself comfortable in the narrow chair, she recognized -Baron von Valkenberg and the military attaches of the foreign embassies -at Washington, always interested spectators at the drills, sitting -near her. To her left was the box reserved for the President and the -Commandant of the Post, draped with the President’s personal flag and -the Stars and Stripes, while the Chief of Staff and his aides occupied -an adjoining box. - -Duncan saw Janet and Barnard sitting midway in the front row of the -gallery, and with many apologies to the occupants of the chairs whose -feet he encountered on his way to them, he reached Barnard’s side, and -in a few words explained the situation, then, not waiting for comment, -turned and ran downstairs, reaching Marjorie’s side just as the opening -bars of the National Anthem echoed through the hall, and the entire -audience rose as the President stepped into his box. - -“Oh, isn’t it grand!” shouted Janet to Barnard, clapping her hands as -a troop of cavalry rode on to the tanbark, and with a ringing cheer, -swept at a run down the hall straight to the President’s box, their -chargers’ noses stopping just short of the high railing, and their -sabers flashing in salute; then the drill was on. - -So absorbed was Janet in the different events scheduled that her -companion received but scant attention. - -“I declare, our soldiers are magnificent!” Janet drew a long breath, -and regretfully watched the company of picked roughriders leave the -hall. - -“You little enthusiast!” Barnard’s handsome eyes glowed with some -warmer sentiment than mere approval as he studied her piquant face. -“Jove! It’s a liberal education to know you.” - -“Now you are making fun of me,” she said reproachfully, her foot -beating time to the stirring tune the post band was playing across the -hall. - -“I never was more in earnest.” The two heads were bent very close -together, and the tender timbre of his voice made her heart beat -quicker. “You have no idea, little girl, of the influence you -unconsciously exert on those about you. Please God, I’m a better, -cleaner man for having known you; only having known you----” his -whisper reached her ear alone--“life will never be the same unless you -are with me--always!” She stirred uneasily, frightened by the vehemence -of his manner. “Surely you guessed,” he whispered, bending down so that -she looked directly at him. His nearness, his comeliness, held her. - -“I--I--don’t know!” she slid one trembling hand in his. “I know you -better than any other man. I think of you--often.” - -His face lightened with hope. “I’ll make you love me,” and pretending -to pick up the program, he stooped and pressed his lips to her hand. - -“Oh, don’t,” she stammered. “Suppose Duncan should see you.” - -“I am willing that he should,” Barnard smiled happily. “But don’t -worry, your brother is too attentive in another quarter to bother about -us.” - -“Duncan attentive?” in sharp surprise. “To whom?” - -But Barnard’s eyes had wandered to the high jumping going on below them -and apparently he did not hear the question. “He’s down!” he shouted as -horse and rider plunged headlong to the ground, and for a time he and -Janet watched the jumping in absolute silence. - -“How do you like your chaperon?” he asked finally. - -“Marjorie? Very much, indeed. Father and mother think she is splendid, -and she has been just lovely to me. I don’t know how I could have -gotten through this month without her.” - -“Good; I’m delighted to hear she’s such a success,” he exclaimed -heartily. “To be candid, I was afraid the experiment wouldn’t work. -Marjorie is not always easy to get along with; she just lost an awfully -good job before your mother engaged her. And Marjorie’s so blessed -poor, she needs every cent she can make.” - -“It is fine the way she helps Madame Yvonett,” said Janet with genuine -enthusiasm. “Marjorie took me to see her aunt, and I think she is a -darling. I met her cousin there, Captain Nichols----” - -“I hope you don’t think he’s a darling also?” in mock jealousy. - -“Don’t be absurd!” But a warm color mantled Janet’s face, and to cover -her confusion she examined the program. “Oh, I see it is his battery -that is to drill this afternoon....” - -“And here they come now,” broke in Barnard; a trumpet call drowned his -words. - -Tom Nichols, looking every inch a soldier, rode at the head of his -battery and, after saluting the President, backed his horse to the side -of the hall and took up his station there, followed by his trumpeter. -Janet, her pulses dancing with excitement, leaned far over the balcony, -and watched the battery drill, that most stirring of spectacles, with -breathless attention. If her eyes stole now and then from the racing -mounted cannoniers, the plunging horses, and leaping gun-carriages to -a soldierly figure sitting erect and watchful on a restive charger, no -one, not even Barnard, was aware of it. - -The two other members of their party sitting in the gallery beneath -them, had been almost as absorbed in the exhibition drill as Janet and -Barnard. - -“Tired?” inquired Duncan, turning to Marjorie. She had watched -each thrilling performance in silent enjoyment, replying mostly in -monosyllables to his few remarks, and Duncan, slowly learning to divine -her moods and tenses, had been content to sit quietly by her side, -only occasionally stealing covert glances in her direction. - -“No, indeed,” she protested. “I feel ‘abominably refreshed,’ as Aunt -Yvonett puts it. Is the drill over?” - -“Apparently so.” Duncan rose and Marjorie followed his example. “Stand -here out of the crowd,” he suggested a moment later as they approached -the entrance. “We can see Janet and Barnard as they come down.” But -the crowd had thinned materially, and the band was playing its last -stirring quick-step, before the others put in their appearance. - -“Awfully sorry to be so long,” apologized Barnard, holding open the -large swing door for Marjorie to pass through. “Where to now?” - -“There’s a tea-dance at the Administration Building,” began Marjorie. -“Shall we go over there?” - -“I have a better plan than that,” put in a voice behind her, and Tom -Nichols joined the little group. “Come and have tea with me; I am -particularly anxious to have you see my quarters.” The invitation was -addressed to Marjorie and her companions, but Tom’s eyes sought Janet, -and impulsively she responded to their mute pleading. - -“Of course we’ll come,” and slipping her hand inside Marjorie’s arm, -she kept step with Tom as he piloted them across the parade grounds. -Duncan paused long enough to direct his chauffeur to bring the -limousine to Captain Nichols’ quarters, then hastened after them. With -no little pride Tom ushered his guests into his semi-detached house. - -“Let me help you off with your coat, Miss Fordyce,” he said, but he was -too late; Barnard was already assisting her. Slightly discomforted Tom -turned back to Marjorie, only to find she had stepped into the parlor, -and was gazing into the lighted dining-room which opened out of it. - -“Are you a magician, Tom?” she asked. “Here is your table all set for -tea, and you only knew three minutes ago that we were coming.” - -Tom reddened under his tan. “I hoped you would come; Miss Fordyce told -me at the Army and Navy Club last night that she had tickets for the -drill.” Janet, scenting a discussion, hurried into the parlor, followed -by her brother and Barnard. “Besides,” added Tom, with honest intent, -but stumbling over his speech. “I--eh--gave a--eh--half invitation to -Joe Cooper to bring his mother and sister--there they are now,” and he -hastened into the reception hall as the electric bell buzzed. - -Marjorie stifled an impatient sigh; she did not like the -Calhoun-Coopers. The dislike was mutual. They had tried assiduously -to cultivate the Fordyces, and Marjorie’s veiled opposition to any -intimacy between Pauline Calhoun-Cooper and Janet had aroused their -silent enmity. - -“Mother was very sorry not to be able to come,” announced a penetrating -voice in the hall. “It was too sweet of you to ask us. Is this your -parlor?” and the portières were pulled back, admitting a strikingly -gowned young woman whose good looks were slightly marred by a -discontented expression. “Dear Miss Fordyce, so glad to see you,” she -gushed. “And of course, Miss Langdon,” but the latter handshake was -perfunctory, and Pauline turned with added warmth to greet Duncan and -Barnard. Joe Calhoun-Cooper was more quiet in his entrance, and Tom -was leading his guests into the dining-room before Duncan noticed his -presence. Barnard, lingering in the background, observed Duncan’s curt -nod and Joe’s darkening face, and his curiosity was instantly aroused. -It was the first time Joe had met Duncan since their encounter in the -dormitory of the Turkish Bath, Joe having been in New York, but he had -neither forgotten nor forgiven Duncan for his plain speech that day, -and the physical force with which he had punctuated his meaning. - -“Will you take charge of the tea, Madge?” asked Tom, pulling out the -chair at the head of the table. “I hope everything is here,” anxiously -examining the bountifully supplied table. “Let me draw up a chair for -you, Miss Fordyce.” Then turning to the others. “Do make yourselves -comfortable,” he entreated. - -Duncan found himself sandwiched in between Pauline and her brother, -Joe, and at some distance from Marjorie. He was spared the trouble of -making small talk, for Pauline took that matter into her own hands, and -kept up a running fire of comment which required only an occasional -answer. To his great annoyance he discovered that Barnard and Marjorie -were holding an animated, low-toned conversation, and Barnard’s manner -was becoming more intense as the slow minutes passed. Pauline finally -observed which way Duncan’s attention was straying, and her black eyes -snapped with anger. - -“They make a very handsome couple,” she whispered confidentially, -nodding toward Marjorie. “An old affair....” - -Duncan favored her with a blank, noncommittal stare, while inwardly -furious. “Ah, indeed,” vaguely, then in a voice which made his sister -jump, he called out: “Nice quarters you have, Nichols.” - -“Mighty glad you like them, old man,” replied Tom, beaming with -pleasure. “Marjorie came over here when I first moved in and helped me -settle the house. She deserves all the praise.” - -“I do not,” contradicted Marjorie, breaking off her tête-à-tête -with Barnard, and Duncan sat back well satisfied. “Aunt Yvonett is -responsible for your home.” - -“I never knew before that bachelors had so much furniture,” chimed in -Pauline. - -“They don’t,” replied Tom. “Most of this stuff,” waving his hand -vaguely toward the heavy pieces of furniture, “belongs to the -Government.” - -“How long is your detail here?” asked Barnard. - -“There is no specified limit, but we are expecting to be ordered to -another station very shortly.” - -“I should think you’d hate to give up all this furniture when you move -away,” commented Janet, looking admiringly about the cozy room. - -“I’ll find some exactly like it in the officers’ quarters at my -next post,” carelessly. “Uncle Sam partly furnishes all the houses -on Government Reservations, you know. What I shall miss will be -Washington.” - -“Perhaps the War Department will extend your detail here,” exclaimed -Marjorie hopefully. - -“No such luck,” groaned Tom. “Now, in the good old days ... I suppose -you have all heard of the marine officer who was stationed for so -many years at the marine barracks in Washington, that when he died he -bequeathed his Government quarters in the Yard to his daughters in his -will, thinking it belonged to him.” - -“If you don’t want to leave Washington, Tom, why don’t you chuck the -service?” asked Joe. “You are a bloated plutocrat now.” - -“What does he mean, Tom?” demanded Marjorie quickly. “Have you -inherited money?” - -“No. Shut up, Joe.” - -“Well, with your luck anything might happen,” protested Joe. “If you -don’t resign they may make you a major-general.” - -“Bosh!” Tom looked as provoked as he felt. “Let me explain Joe’s -nonsense. When in Brussels two years ago, I attended the Vieux Marché -where the townspeople and peasants bring old junk on Sundays to be sold -for what it will bring, and I picked up an old coin for five centimes. -The other day I heard Admiral Lawrence discussing numismatology in the -club, and it occurred to me to show my coin to an antique dealer. Joe -went with me yesterday, and I’m blessed if the dealer didn’t tell me -the coin was worth between twelve and fifteen hundred dollars.” - -“Oh, how romantic!” ejaculated Pauline, and Janet looked her interest. - -“Let’s see the coin, Tom,” suggested Joe, “or have you sold it?” - -“No, the dealer only gave me the address of a New York coin collector -whom he thought would buy it. If you really care to see the coin,” -looking anxiously at Janet, who nodded her head vigorously. “Just a -moment, I’ll run upstairs and get it.” - -Pauline promptly opened a lively conversation with Barnard across the -table, and Duncan was just thinking of changing his seat when Tom -rejoined them carrying a small pasteboard box. - -“There, isn’t that an ugly thing to be worth all that gold,” he said, -placing the coin in Janet’s hand, and the others crowded about to get a -better look at it. - -“There’s no accounting for taste,” admitted Janet, handing it back to -Tom. “Personally I’d rather buy....” - -A long blue flame shot out from under the teakettle, and Marjorie -jumped from her seat in alarm. - -“Lord! the alcohol lamp’s busted,” shouted Tom, dropping the pasteboard -box on the sideboard, and reaching over he seized the boiling kettle -and its nickel frame. “Open the window, Fordyce,” and he tossed the -burning lamp out on the ground where it exploded harmlessly. “Were you -burned, Madge?” he asked, returning to her side. - -“Oh, no, only frightened; the flame shot at me so suddenly.” Marjorie -passed a nervous hand over her mouth, conscious that her lips were -trembling. - -“I really think we must be leaving,” broke in Pauline. She did not -like having attention diverted from herself, and playing second fiddle -to a girl who worked for her living was too novel a sensation to be -agreeable. “We’ve had a delightful time, Captain; good-bye everybody,” -and she sailed out of the room, accompanied by her flurried host and -her brother. - -“I don’t like to hurry you, Janet, but we must be going also,” said -Marjorie quietly. - -“Yes, it’s later than I thought,” responded the younger girl. -“Gracious, I entirely forgot we are going to the theater tonight.” - -“We will all meet there,” Barnard helped Janet into her coat with -solicitous care. “Nichols and I are both invited by Judge and Mrs. -Walbridge.” - -“Good-bye, Tom, we’ve had an awfully good time,” Marjorie gave her -cousin’s hand an affectionate squeeze as he helped her into the -limousine. The Calhoun-Coopers’ car was already a dim speck in the -distance. - -“Good-bye--see you all tonight,” shouted Tom, and watched the limousine -out of sight. On re-entering the house he was on the point of going -upstairs when he remembered the coin. Retracing his footsteps he went -to the sideboard in the dining-room and opened the box. It was empty. - -Tom glanced in deep perplexity at the box, and then about the room. He -had a very distinct recollection of stuffing the coin back into the box -just as the flame from the lamp leaped out, and of dropping the closed -box on the sideboard. There had been only himself and his guests in the -house, for he had sent his striker over to assist at the tea-dance at -the Administration Building, after first setting his master’s tea table. - -Tom went rapidly through all his pockets; then searched the room, -then the parlor; next he went into the servants’ quarters and, as he -expected, found them empty. From there he went over the house, but he -was the only person in it, and the windows and doors were all securely -locked. Convinced of that fact, he returned to the dining-room, and -dropped bewildered into the nearest chair. His eyes fell on the -uptilted cardboard box; there was even a slight impress left on the -cotton where the coin had lain. - -“It’s gone!” exclaimed Tom aloud. “Really gone!” And his face was as -blank as the opposite wall. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -TREASURE TROVE - - -MINERVA glared at her image in the glass she was polishing with unusual -diligence. “A cleanin’ an’ a cleanin’,” she exclaimed rebelliously. -“Miss Rebekah don’t hardly ’low me time ter eat. Miss Marjorie didn’t -never turn me inter a--a--flyin’ squadron”--Minerva hadn’t the faintest -idea of the meaning of “flying squadron,” but she had picked up the -words while waiting at table, and they sounded big enough to express -her state of mind. “An’ I ain’t gwine ter church termorro’, nohow; las’ -time I went, I come home an’ foun’ Miss Rebekah had done took all my -china an’ glass off de pantry shelves, an’ I had ter put it back. What -kind ob a Christian am she, anyhow? An’ when I’m down on my marrow -bones a scrubbin’ de flo’, she flops down an’ keeps me a prayin’ fo’ -five minutes. Lan’ sakes! dar’s de bell.” Hastily washing her hands and -putting a white apron over her gingham one, she took her leisurely way -to the front door. - -“Howdy, Marse Tom?” she exclaimed, showing all her ivories in an -expansive smile on seeing the young officer standing in the vestibule. -“De Madam will be mighty glad ter see yo’; step right inter de pawlor, -I’ll go tell her yo’ am hyar.” - -Madame Yvonett found Tom walking restlessly up and down the small room -when she entered a few minutes later. - -“I am pleased to see thee, Thomas,” she said, kissing him warmly. “Thee -finds us rather topsy-turvey; this is cleaning day, but make thyself -comfortable, I will sit here,” selecting her customary high back -arm-chair, and producing her knitting. - -Tom established himself in one end of the rosewood sofa. - -“You must miss Marjorie awfully,” he said, inspecting the disarranged -room with some wonder. - -“I do;” an involuntary sigh escaped Madame Yvonett. “Marjorie is young, -but she understands the foibles of the old; she is a good child.” - -“I’m afraid Cousin Rebekah Graves is a bit too strenuous for you.” - -“Becky’s a trifle breezy, but anything’s better than a dead calm,” -responded the Quakeress. “I am pleased that Marjorie is with the -Fordyces; from what she says they must be charming people.” - -“They are,” declared Tom with such positiveness that a faint gleam of -amusement lit his companion’s eyes. “Has Marjorie been in to see you -today?” - -“No. She usually comes about this time on her return from market. Thee -knows Mrs. Fordyce has turned the housekeeping over to her.” - -“It strikes me they put a great deal on Marjorie....” - -“Tut! Marjorie’s shoulders are young and broad. It would be better if -the younger generation carried more responsibilities; too much is done -for them by their elders. In my day”--dropping her knitting in her -lap as she warmed to her subject--“the development of character went -hand-in-hand with education; now, education is founded on indulgence. -The modern child must be amused, spoiled, its fits of temper -condoned....” - -“Spare the rod and spoil the child,” quoted Tom, in open amusement. - -“A sound doctrine,” affirmed Madame Yvonett with spirit. “And if -the American nation is to endure, character in the child must be -cultivated.” - -“There’s a lot in what you say,” agreed Tom. “I came in this morning -hoping to see you alone;” he rose and sat down close by her. “I am -anxious to consult you about an incident that occurred yesterday -afternoon in my quarters,” and in a few words he described the -disappearance of the coin. - -Madame Yvonett listened with absorbed attention to the story, and at -its conclusion, sat back and gazed unbelievingly at Tom, her busy -needles idly suspended in air. - -“Does thee mean to say thee can find no trace of the coin?” she asked -incredulously. - -“It has disappeared absolutely.” - -“Is thee certain that thy servant was not in the house at the time the -lamp exploded?” - -“Positive. Mrs. Sims, wife of the Commandant, told me he was -assisting the other servants in the Administration Building from the -commencement of the tea-dance until its close.” - -“Then thee infers that one of thy guests stole the coin?” - -“What other conclusion can I reach?” hopelessly. “And yet it’s a -devilish thought.” - -“Has thee suspicions against anyone in particular?” Madame Yvonett -paled as she put the question, but she sat with her back to the light -and Tom did not perceive her agitation. - -“Yes, I have,” reluctantly. “Joe Calhoun-Cooper.” - -“Cooper? Ah, yes, I recollect; thee means John C. Cooper’s grandson. -What leads thee to suspect him?” - -“I know he’s hard up; he’s been trying to borrow money, his father -having shut down on his allowance;” Tom paused thoughtfully, then -continued. “Joe was with me when I learned the coin’s value. He first -spoke of it yesterday--I never should have mentioned the matter--and -suggested I show the coin to my guests, evidently depending on chance -to give him an opportunity to steal it.” - -“It dove-tails nicely,” acknowledged Madame Yvonett. “In fact, too -nicely; beware, Thomas, be not hasty in thy judgment.” - -“I’m not,” doggedly. “Joe’s always been tricky, even as a schoolboy.” - -“Then how does it happen that thee associates with him now?” - -“Well--eh--his family have been very decent to me, and I’ve gone there -a good bit.” Madame Yvonett’s shrewd eyes twinkled. “While accepting -their hospitality I couldn’t refuse to know Joe. Although I’ve never -liked him, I knew no real ground for dropping him, until now,” and -Tom’s pleasant face hardened. - -“Does thee intend to prosecute him for the theft of the coin?” - -“I haven’t quite decided,” admitted Tom. “The loss of such a sum of -money means a good deal to me; still, I have only the dealer’s word -that the coin was worth between twelve and fifteen hundred dollars. I -could have Joe arrested,” doubtfully. “It’s a dirty business. Perhaps -it would be better to keep silent, but tell Joe to leave Washington or -I’ll expose his rascality.” - -“Thee’ll have to secure more proof against him to make that threat -effective,” put in Madame Yvonett, sagely. - -“I’ve already written to the coin collector in New York, describing my -coin, and asking him to notify me if such a coin is offered to him, and -by whom. Joe was with me when the dealer here gave me the New Yorker’s -address.” - -“That is a good move,” Madame Yvonett nodded approvingly. - -“I’ve also notified the Washington dealer, and he has agreed to send a -letter to other well-known numismatists telling them of the coin, and -asking for the name of the person who offers it for sale. Fortunately -the coin is very rare, and its appearance will arouse interest----” - -“And cupidity,” chimed in Madame Yvonett. “Collectors are said to be -not too scrupulous; if they can buy it cheaply from the thief they will -not be likely to notify thee, the real owner.” - -“Of course, there’s that danger,” admitted Tom, rising. “I’m afraid I -must be going, Cousin Yvonett; you’ve been awfully good to listen to -me.” - -“I am always interested in anything that concerns thee, Thomas, and thy -news today is startling. Shall I mention the matter to Marjorie?” - -Tom pondered for a moment before answering. “I don’t believe I would; -she is thrown a good deal with the Calhoun-Coopers, and knowledge of -Joe’s dishonesty might embarrass her in her relations with them.” - -“Had thee not better question her about the disappearance of the coin? -She may be able to throw some light on the mystery.” - -Again Tom shook his head. “If any of the others had seen Joe steal the -coin, they would have denounced him then and there, or dropped me a -hint later, and Marjorie particularly would have been sure to have done -so.” - -“That is true, Marjorie has thy interests very much to heart; she has -not forgotten how good thee has been to me financially.” - -“Don’t you ever speak of that again,” protested Tom warmly. “I’d do -everything for you if I could.” - -“Thee is like thy father in generosity,” Madame Yvonett patted his -shoulder lovingly. “Be cautious in thy actions, Thomas; better lose a -coin than wrongfully accuse another. I advise thee to go carefully over -the floor of the dining-room and parlor, the coin may have rolled and -slipped into a tiny crevice, or down the register.” - -Tom frowned in disbelief. “There are no registers, the house is heated -by steam; however, I’ll look again over the furniture and floors. I’m -not going to the dinner the Calhoun-Coopers are giving next week. I -can’t eat their food, believing Joe a thief. Good-bye, I’ll be in again -soon.” - -After his departure Madame Yvonett remained seated in the little -parlor, her knitting in her lap and her usually industrious fingers at -rest, while her thoughts centered themselves on Tom’s account of the -disappearance of his coin. - -“I wish Marjorie had not been present,” she said aloud. - -“Did you call me?” inquired Miss Rebekah, as she divested herself of -her coat and gloves in the hall. “All alone, Cousin Yvonett? Why, -Marjorie told me she was surely coming in to be with you.” - - * * * * * - -Marjorie had fully intended stopping in to see her aunt that morning, -but she had been delayed in reaching Center Market, and afterwards, -having an errand to do on F Street, she had decided to walk instead of -taking a street car. Turning the corner at Ninth and F Streets she -came face to face with Chichester Barnard. - -“What good luck to meet you!” His tone of pleasure was convincing in -its heartiness, and Marjorie’s eyes danced. “Which way are you going?” - -“To Brentano’s.” - -“I have an errand there, too,” falling into step beside her. “I had -a telephone a short time ago from Miss Janet asking me to lunch with -them.” - -“She said she intended to invite you;” some of the sparkle had -disappeared from Marjorie’s eyes. “Can you come?” - -“Yes, fortunately this is not a very busy day with me,” he raised his -hat to Mrs. Walbridge who passed them in her automobile. “Are you and -Miss Janet going to Mrs. Walbridge’s Christmas Eve dance?” - -“I think so; here we are,” and she led the way inside the book-store. -It did not take her long to complete her errand, and she found Barnard -waiting for her at the entrance, a magazine tucked under his arm. - -“All ready?” he inquired, holding open the door for her. “Are you going -to do any more shopping?” - -“No.” - -“Then take a walk with me?” eagerly. “We don’t have to be at the -Fordyce’s until one o’clock.” - -“I told Aunt Yvonett I would run in for a few minutes on my way -uptown....” - -“You can go there after lunch,” broke in Barnard. “Besides, there’s a -business matter I must talk over with you.” - -A premonition of bad news sent a faint shiver down Marjorie’s spine, -and she glanced almost pleadingly at her companion. - -“What----?” she began, then stopped. “Where shall we go?” - -“Suppose we walk around the White Lot,” he suggested, after a moment’s -thought. “We’re not likely to be interrupted there,” turning to bow to -some friends. - -“Very well,” agreed Marjorie briefly, quickening her pace, and talking -of indifferent subjects they made their way up busy F Street, across -Fifteenth, back of the Treasury, and round to the Ellipse. Barnard -pointed to one of the empty benches which stood on the outer edge of -the huge circle of well-kept turf, and Marjorie followed him to it. - -“Well, what is your news?” she demanded, after waiting for him to speak. - -“You are so literal, Madge,” he said, with a half sigh. “Give a poor -beggar a chance to look at you; I’m reveling in having you to myself -again.” - -But Marjorie drew away from him. “Your news, please; I know it’s bad, -or you would not hesitate to tell me.” - -“Have it your own way,” Barnard thumped the turf nervously with his -cane. “Do you know your aunt, Madame Yvonett, has a chattel mortgage -with the Wellington Loan Company?” - -“Yes; she took it out during mother’s last illness. How did you come to -hear of it, Chichester?” - -“The Wellington Company has turned the mortgage over to me to collect -for them. I do their legal work, you know.” - -“No, I wasn’t aware of it.” Marjorie drew in her breath sharply. “The -interest is not due until next week.” - -“But, my dearest girl, they want more than their interest--they require -the principal.” - -“The company agreed to permit Aunt Yvonett to pay that off gradually.” - -“Has your aunt a written agreement to that effect?” - -“I don’t know positively, but Mr. Saunders always attends to that for -her.” - -“Unfortunately Saunders is no longer president of the company, and the -new head is a very different type of man. He insists on calling in all -loans which have run for a considerable period.” - -“It’s hateful of him!” Marjorie stamped with sudden fury. “Aunt Yvonett -is trying so hard to pay off her debts, and she took this mortgage so -that mother could have some comforts and proper care before she died. -Oh, I can’t let him foreclose!” - -Unconscious of Barnard’s intent gaze, she stared at the distant White -House, picturesque in its setting; then with tired, restless eyes -turned to look at the still more distant Washington Monument, whose -tapering shaft seemed lost in fleecy clouds. She knew that hundreds of -migrating birds nightly beat themselves to death against the towering -marble shaft, a shaft as immovable as that Fate which was shaping her -destiny. - -“How much money does Aunt Yvonett owe the company?” she asked abruptly. - -Barnard consulted his note book. “The total sum is eleven hundred and -forty-three dollars and seventeen cents.” - -Marjorie swallowed hard; the amount loomed even larger than the -Washington Monument. Her first month’s salary at the Fordyces’ had gone -to meet current expenses, and to buy Madame Yvonett a much needed gown. -Where could she turn? - -“I took over this business,” continued Barnard, “because I feared -another lawyer might give you trouble. Why not let me advance you the -money, Madge?” - -“No, never!” Barnard winced at the abrupt refusal, and observing his -hurt expression, she added hastily, “Your offer was kindly meant, -Chichester, and I thank you; but accepting your assistance is quite out -of the question.” - -“I don’t see why,” quickly. “I worship the ground you walk on--Madge, -darling, why must I give all, and you give nothing?” - -“Nothing?” asked the girl drearily, and she closed her eyes to keep -back the blinding tears. “Worship is not all a woman requires; there is -honor and faith....” - -“You doubt my sincerity?” he demanded hotly. - -“Can you blame me?” She shrugged her shoulders disdainfully. “Have I -not daily evidence of your attentions to Janet Fordyce?” - -Barnard threw back his head and laughed long and heartily. “Madge, -are you quite blind?” he asked. “I am attentive to Janet, yes, -because then I can be near you. Do you really suppose I care for that -bread-and-butter miss?” - -“Bread and butter’s very good for a steady diet,” Marjorie passed a -nervous hand over her forehead. “Particularly when it’s spread with -gold dust.” - -“Steady, Madge, steady; there are some insults a man can’t take from -even a woman.” Barnard’s eyes were flashing ominously, and every bit -of color had deserted his face. “Have you no spark of feeling about -you? Are you all adamantine? Have you no recollection of the night we -plighted our troth?” his voice quivered with pent-up passion, and she -moved uneasily. - -“I am not the one who forgot, Chichester,” she said, refusing to meet -his eyes. “When I found--changed conditions, I gave you back your -freedom.” - -“Because I had not been to see you for a couple of days. What a -reason!” he laughed mirthlessly. “You accuse me of lack of faith; come, -where was _your_ faith?” - -“It’s the pot calling the kettle black;” Marjorie, intent on -controlling her impulse to cry, failed to observe Barnard’s altered -demeanor. He had been intently studying the varying emotions which -flitted across her face, and, keen student of human nature that he -was, instantly put his knowledge of her character to the test. - -“Come,” he sprang to his feet. “We will go to Madame Yvonett....” - -“What for?” in alarm, the recollection of the chattel mortgage -returning to her. - -“To ask her consent to our marriage.” - -Marjorie sat back in her seat. “Would you wed me, the beggar maid?” - -“Within the hour, if you wish.” He leaned nearer her, and his hot -passionate words soothed her troubled heart, and finally dispelled -her last lingering doubt. She gazed at him half shyly, never had he -appeared to greater advantage, her chevalier “_sans peur et sans -reproche_.” A piercing automobile siren brought her back from her -day-dream. - -“What time is it?” she asked in some alarm. - -Barnard looked at his watch. “Twenty minutes of one.” - -“Then we can just do it,” and snatching up her chain bag, she led the -way to Pennsylvania Avenue. - -“Are we going to Madame Yvonett’s?” he asked tenderly. - -“Not now.” Her eyes smiled wistfully back into his. - -“Madge, won’t you marry me?” stopping directly in front of her. - -“Not just yet.” Marjorie only saw the bitter disappointment in the fine -eyes regarding her so wistfully; she never caught the significance of -his long-drawn sigh of relief. “I have some pride, Chichester. Let me -first get clear of my debts, and then we’ll talk of marriage.” - -“Won’t you let me help you with that chattel mortgage?” pleaded Barnard. - -“No,” gently. “I shall write to some friends in New York--here comes -our car, Chichester, do hurry.” - -So intent were they on catching the car that neither noticed a -well-dressed young woman watching them from a bench in Lafayette -Square. Nurse Allen grew white to the lips and her pretty eyes -glittered with a more powerful emotion than tears as she observed -Barnard’s tender solicitude for Marjorie as he escorted her across the -street. - -“Still playing the old game,” she muttered, tossing a handful of -peanuts to three park squirrels, and gathering up her bag and muff she -turned her footsteps toward Admiral Lawrence’s house. - -On their arrival at the Fordyce residence Barnard was ushered into the -sunny library by the footman, while Marjorie hastily sought her room. -Barnard found Janet and her brother waiting for him. - -“I hope I’m not late,” he said, selecting a seat near Janet, who -resumed work on the necktie she was crocheting. - -“You are just on time,” remarked Duncan. “Mother is the tardy member of -the household--and Miss Langdon.” - -“Marjorie is usually prompt,” Janet gave a tug at her spool of -silk; the work-basket overturned, and its contents scattered in all -directions. “Oh, don’t trouble,” as the two men stooped to gather up -the different articles. - -“What’s this, Janet?” asked Duncan, picking up a heavy gold object -which had rolled toward him. Barnard’s eyes dilated, and he shot a -swift look at Janet. - -“A ring,” she replied. “A gold signet ring.” - -“So it seems.” Duncan examined it with care. “A man’s ring?” raising -gravely questioning eyes to his sister’s. - -“And made to fit a girl’s finger.” Janet took it from him, and slipped -it on, “but too large for me.” - -“Take it off,” commanded Barnard in her ear as the library door opened, -but she shook her head violently and turned to the newcomer. - -“Look, Marjorie,” she called audaciously, displaying the ring on her -finger. “Treasure trove.” - -Recognizing the familiar ring, Marjorie’s heart lost a beat, then raced -onward, as she said clearly: - -“To have and to hold, Janet,” and Barnard’s eyes shifted before the -scorn in hers. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -THE ONLY WOMAN - - -“ALMOST the amount,” mused Marjorie folding the letter and placing -it carefully away in the top drawer of her bureau. “The company will -have to take it and wait for the remainder. I can do no more,” and -she turned dejectedly in her chair and surveyed her room, the dainty -furnishings of which left nothing to be desired in point of taste and -comfort. Mrs. Fordyce had given Marjorie the large double room on the -second bedroom floor, and adjoining Janet’s, the two girls using the -communicating dressing-room. - -The past few days had sorely taxed Marjorie’s composure and endurance. -Besides her worry over money matters, her awakening to Chichester -Barnard’s duplicity had shocked her beyond measure. The disillusion -had been complete. Barnard was but a common fortune hunter; Janet his -quarry, and her paid chaperon only a plaything to amuse his idle hours. -Marjorie burned with shame and indignation at his daring to hold her so -cheaply. What had she done that he should have so poor an opinion of -her intelligence and integrity as to believe she should tamely submit -to being made a cat’s-paw? The thought scorched her like a white-hot -iron. She saw Barnard with new eyes; he was undeniably handsome, -entirely selfish, plausible--ah, too plausible; it had been his charm -of manner and fascinating personality which had held her captive for so -long, and quieted her haunting doubts of his sincerity. - -She felt it to be her duty to warn Mrs. Fordyce of Barnard’s true -character, but hesitated, fearing her motive might be misconstrued. -Janet would undoubtedly declare her interference sprang from jealousy. -It was obvious that the young girl was flattered by Barnard’s -attention, and Marjorie reasoned that opposition would but fan her -liking into an impetuous espousing of his cause, and that might lead -to the very thing Marjorie most heartily wished avoided. During -wakeful nights she decided to temporize; to quietly undermine whatever -influence Barnard had gained over Janet’s impressionable nature, and to -see that his friendly footing in the household was discontinued. But it -was uphill work, for Barnard had ingratiated himself with every member -of the family, except Duncan, and Marjorie had sought her room after -luncheon thoroughly discouraged. A tap at the door disturbed her, and -on opening it, she found Mrs. Fordyce’s maid standing in the hall. - -“Mrs. Fordyce would like to have you stop in her boudoir, Miss -Marjorie, before you go out,” she said respectfully. - -“Tell Mrs. Fordyce I will come at once, Blanche,” and pausing long -enough to get her coat and furs, she ran down to the first bedroom -floor and entered the boudoir. With a word of apology, she passed -Calderon Fordyce, and sat down on the lounge by his wife. - -“Father’s on the rampage,” announced Janet, uncurling herself in the -depths of a large chair. “He pretends to be awfully shocked at the -Calhoun-Cooper dinner last night.” - -“There’s no pretense about it,” fumed Fordyce. “Why I was invited is -beyond me....” - -“I suppose they thought they couldn’t ask me without you,” broke in -Janet. “Duncan hasn’t been decently civil to Joe, and Marjorie wasn’t -invited either.” - -“If you had followed Marjorie’s advice you would not have accepted the -invitation, Calderon,” said Mrs. Fordyce mildly. “Were the Coopers so -very _outré_?” - -“Oh, the Coopers themselves weren’t bad,” admitted Fordyce. - -“You seemed to get on beautifully with Pauline during dinner,” -protested Janet. - -“How was she dressed?” asked Mrs. Fordyce, whose busy mind was taken up -with replenishing Janet’s wardrobe. - -“I don’t know, I didn’t glance under the table,” growled Fordyce. - -“I hear Mrs. Calhoun-Cooper and Pauline are called ‘High-Lo,’” added -Janet, winking mischievously at Marjorie. - -“And who is ‘Jack in the game’?” demanded Fordyce. - -“Her latest admirer,” retorted his daughter, flippantly. - -“What roused your ire at the dinner?” demanded Mrs. Fordyce, bestowing -a frown on Janet. - -“Janet’s contemporaries made up the guests, Judge and Mrs. Walbridge -and I being thrown in for good measure,” smiled Fordyce. “Left more or -less to myself I watched the arrival of the young people, and I give -you my word, Flora, the main endeavor of each guest appeared to be how -to enter the drawing-room without greeting their host and hostess--and -most of them succeeded in their purpose. I have seen better manners in -a lumber camp.” - -“What would the older generation do if they didn’t have us to -criticize?” asked Janet, raising her hands in mock horror. - -“Let me tell you, young lady, if I catch you forgetting the manners -your mother taught you, I’ll pack you off to a convent,” warned Fordyce. - -“You needn’t get so awfully excited,” objected his daughter, looking a -trifle subdued. “I’m sure some of the married people are just as rude.” - -“The more shame to them; they are old enough to know better,” declared -Fordyce. “Life is too short to bother with ill-bred and stupid people. -I came to Washington to avoid them.” - -“Pray, who sent you here?” inquired Marjorie. - -“I thought a friend,” Fordyce’s eyes twinkled. “Now I’ve mingled -in Capital society, I’m beginning to believe that my friend had a -perverted sense of humor.” - -“You are too harsh in your judgment, Calderon,” put in Mrs. Fordyce. -“Rudeness we have with us everywhere, whereas in Washington, while -there are numerous _nouveaux riches_ seeking social recognition, -who think lack of manners shows _savoir faire_, there are also many -distinguished men and women spending the winter here. In addition the -resident circle is certainly most charming and cultivated. The people -who strive for vulgar ostentatious display are grafted from other -cities.” - -“I have no desire to be put in that class,” remarked Fordyce. “So, -Janet, mind your p’s and q’s.” - -Janet rose abruptly. “’Nuff said, Daddy. Are you going downtown, -Marjorie?” - -“Yes. Did you wish to see me, Mrs. Fordyce?” - -“I will be greatly obliged if you will stop at Galt’s, Marjorie, and -order the articles I had put aside yesterday, sent to me; then please -stop at Small’s....” - -“I think I’ll go with you,” volunteered Janet. - -“Hurry then,” Fordyce darted an impatient look at the mantel clock. -“Two thirty-five. I’ll send you both down in the motor, and you can -stop at the bank, Janet, and draw a check for me. I’ll go and make it -out; come to the library before you go,” and he left the room, followed -by Janet. - -“Are you happy here, Marjorie?” asked Mrs. Fordyce, turning directly to -the girl. - -“What a question, dear Mrs. Fordyce! You have done everything for my -comfort,” and Marjorie looked gratefully at the older woman. “I have -seldom met with such consideration and kindness. You--you are not -dissatisfied with me?” in quick alarm. - -“No, indeed.” Mrs. Fordyce’s tone was flattering in its sincerity, and -Marjorie’s fears were allayed. “I can’t get on without you; in fact, I -am afraid I’m putting too much upon you. You are so dependable I forget -your youth.” - -Marjorie’s laugh was followed by an unconscious sigh. “Youth with me -is a thing of the past; I rival Methuselah,” she said lightly. “Don’t -worry about me, dear Mrs. Fordyce; I can never do enough to repay your -kindness. My work here is most congenial.” - -“Come along, Marjorie,” called Janet from the hall. - -“Go, my dear,” Mrs. Fordyce impulsively kissed Marjorie. “Don’t keep my -husband waiting; he’ll never forgive you.” - -Mrs. Fordyce had been by herself but a scant ten minutes when the hall -door again opened and Duncan walked in. - -“Where’s everybody?” he demanded, seating himself by her. - -“Your father had an engagement at the Riding and Hunt Club.” She -inspected the clock. “He should be there now.” - -“And what are the others doing?” - -“Janet and Marjorie? Oh, they are out shopping for Christmas.” - -“I wish I’d known it, I’d have gone with them,” and he beat an -impatient tattoo on the back of the lounge. - -“I am afraid you find Washington very dull,” said Mrs. Fordyce -regretfully. “But I am selfish enough to wish to keep you here. Stay as -long as you can, dear.” - -“Of course I’m going to stay,” heartily, catching the wistful appeal -in her eyes. “I’ve given up returning to the West until February and -you’ll have me on your hands until then.” - -“That’s dear of you, Duncan,” she leaned over and stroked his hand. “My -bonnie big boy,” and there was infinite pride in her tone. “You have -no idea of my joy in having your father, Janet, and you under one roof -again. This will be a blessed Christmas to me.” - -She sat silent as memories of lonely years in their San Francisco home -rose before her. Originally from Boston, she had married Calderon -Fordyce in New York, and had accompanied him to the Pacific coast where -he had eventually built up an immense importing trade. His business had -taken him frequently to the Orient, and Mrs. Fordyce after her railroad -accident had perforce remained in San Francisco. She had not minded -her husband’s absences so much while her children were young, but when -Duncan departed to college, and later Janet to boarding school, her -loneliness and physical condition had preyed so much on her mind that -her husband had become alarmed. On consulting their physician, Calderon -Fordyce had been advised to see that his wife had more distractions, -and placing his business affairs in competent hands, he and Mrs. -Fordyce had spent the past few years traveling in Europe, and while -there she had formed the plan to introduce Janet to Washington society -on her reaching her eighteenth year. - -“I am particularly glad for Janet’s sake that you are here, Duncan,” -she said presently. “It is nice for her to have a big elder brother at -dances and dinners.” - -“Miss Langdon takes such excellent care of Janet that my services as -cavalier are not required,” replied Duncan lazily. “Janet is pretty -enough to have plenty of partners, and Miss Langdon sees that she meets -men.” - -“I think I was very lucky to secure Marjorie,” and Mrs. Fordyce nodded -her head complacently. - -“I think you were,” agreed Duncan, idly turning the leaves of a -magazine. “I’m afraid Janet is tiring her out.” - -“What do you mean?” - -“Too many late parties,” tersely. “Miss Langdon is fagged out.” - -“She doesn’t look strong,” admitted Mrs. Fordyce thoughtfully. “But I -think her pale cheeks and distrait manner are induced by a love affair.” - -“Eh!” Duncan turned toward his mother with unusual sharpness. “Who’s -the man?” The question seemed almost forced from him. - -“Chichester Barnard.” - -“Oh, nonsense.” - -“It is not nonsense,” replied Mrs. Fordyce, somewhat nettled by his -manner. “I have watched them very closely when they are together, and -I am sure I am right.” Duncan rose abruptly and walked over to the -window. “Mr. Barnard and Marjorie are both so good looking that they -would make an ideal couple.” - -“Ideal?” Duncan’s laugh was mirthless. “You are an idealist, mother.” - -“Better that than an image breaker,” retorted Mrs. Fordyce. “Now, run -along, dear, I must take my usual afternoon nap.” - -“All right, mother, I’ll be down in the billiard-room if you should -want me.” - -Duncan spent an unsatisfactory hour knocking the balls around, -then took refuge in the library. Selecting a novel he made himself -comfortable before the open fire, and commenced reading. But his -attention wandered from the printed page; before him constantly was -Marjorie Langdon’s face. Surely he had not found his ideal but to lose -her? He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror over the fireplace, -and his mouth set grimly. What chance had his plain features and -taciturn manner against Barnard’s handsome face and gay debonair -personality? He had inherited his looks and his temperament from some -dour Scotch ancestor. It would take a miracle to make him a parlor -knight. His book fell with a thud to the floor, and as he stooped to -pick it up, the door opened and Marjorie walked in. - -“Can I see your father?” she asked. - -“I am sorry, he is not in,” Duncan sprang up and pushed forward a -chair. “Won’t I serve the purpose?” - -“Oh, yes.” She stepped forward and removed a small roll of bank notes -from her muff. “Janet cashed one hundred and fifty dollars for your -father, and asked me to give it to him. Will you see that the money -reaches him?” placing the bank notes on the library table. “I’m afraid -I can’t sit down, Mr. Fordyce; your sister is waiting for me.” - -“Let her wait,” calmly. “It’s beastly cold outside; I am sure the fire -will be a comfort. Sit down for a moment.” - -“I mustn’t,” Marjorie’s color, made brilliant by the wind outside, -deepened to a warmer tint as she caught his eyes. “Janet and Baron von -Valkenberg are waiting in the motor for me; we are going down to the -Basin to skate. The river is frozen over, you know. Good-bye,” and she -vanished through the doorway. - -“D--mn! they might have asked me to go along!” Duncan threw a fresh log -on the fire as a slight vent to his feelings, then strolled over to the -window opening on Sheridan Circle. He was just in time to see Marjorie -assisted into the waiting motor by Chichester Barnard. - -Duncan drew back, stung to the quick, and making his way to the table, -dropped into his father’s revolving chair. For a time he sat blindly -scratching marks on a pad, then threw down his pencil in disgust. - -“The only woman!” he muttered, and his clenched hands parted slowly. As -he rose to leave the room his eyes fell on a small pile of bank notes -lying on the floor where he had knocked them some minutes before. He -gathered them up, and paused idly to count the bills.... “Nine tens, -ten tens, one hundred; one ten----” his hand remained suspended in the -air; surely Marjorie had mentioned one hundred and fifty dollars? Where -was the odd forty? He went slowly over the bills again, with the same -result--one hundred and ten dollars. - -With infinite pains Duncan searched the table and then the floor. -Leaving the library he went carefully down the hall and staircase, and -from there to the front door and down to the street. Finding no trace -of any bank notes, he retraced his steps to the house, but instead of -mounting the stairs he went up in the lift, first carefully examining -its interior. On reaching the drawing-room floor he returned to the -library and sat for some time contemplating the fire. The tinkle of the -telephone bell aroused him, and he hastened to remove the receiver. - -“Yes, this is Duncan Fordyce,” he called. “Yes, Janet, what is it?” - -“I can’t rent a pair of skates here that will fit me,” came Janet’s -answer. “Please have Blanche hunt in my closet and find my own pair, -and send them down to me by messenger at once, Duncan.” - -“I’ll attend to it,” he promised. “Wait, Janet. Did you draw out some -money for father?” - -“Yes, a hundred and fifty dollars. Marjorie said she gave it to you. -What did you say, Duncan?” - -“Nothing. I’ll send the skates. Good-bye,” and he banged up the -receiver. But it was some minutes before he moved, and when he rose -there were lines about his mouth which had not been there before. He -pushed the electric bell, and on Perkins’ entrance, gave him full -instructions regarding the skates. As the butler left the room, -Calderon Fordyce appeared. - -“All alone, Duncan?” he asked. “Where’s Janet?” - -“Down skating on the Potomac.” - -“Deuce take the girl! What does she mean by gadding about? I told her -to return here at once with my money. I promised to advance Perkins’ -wages, and----” - -“Janet left it with me,” Duncan stepped forward and handed his father -the roll of bills. “Here it is.” - -“Thanks, Duncan,” Fordyce took out his leather wallet and stuffed the -bank notes inside it. - -“Hold on,” cautioned Duncan. “Hadn’t you better count your money?” - -Fordyce eyed his son in astonishment. “What are you driving at?” he -demanded brusquely. “I’m not in the habit of questioning anything you -and Janet give me.” - -“Some of that money is missing,” stated Duncan. - -“What?” Fordyce’s smile vanished, and his eyes darkened. - -“I borrowed forty dollars,” added Duncan tranquilly. “Here’s my check -for the amount,” taking it up from the table. “I needed the ready -money, so”--smiling whimsically, “helped myself.” - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -GAY DECEIVERS - - -MRS. CALHOUN-COOPER contemplated her daughter with distinct admiration, -albeit mixed with some alarm. - -“My dear Pauline,” she said, lowering her lorgnette. “I have seldom -seen you look so well, but--eh--don’t you think your gown is a trifle -too--too pronounced?” - -“Of course it isn’t.” Pauline revolved slowly, the better to show the -expensive Paquin model which she was wearing. “Nothing is extreme these -days; I mean everything is extreme.” - -“Hello, why the beauty show?” demanded Joe from the doorway of the -library. - -“Joseph! You are not in evening clothes!” wailed his mother. “And -Pauline is waiting for you to take her to the Walbridge dance.” - -“I forgot the beastly thing,” grumbled Joe, sauntering over to a chair. -“I’ve been so busy today.” - -“Same old business, Joe?” questioned Pauline significantly, scanning -his rumpled appearance with no kindly eye. “Really, father will be -deeply interested to hear you are so engrossed in the pursuit of -pleasure.” - -“Cut it out,” admonished her brother roughly. “I’ve stood all I’m going -to from you.” - -“Stop this bickering, instantly,” commanded Mrs. Calhoun-Cooper. -“And you, Joseph, go upstairs at once and change your clothes. If -you don’t,” meeting the mutinous glare with which he favored her, “I -shall telephone at once to the Capitol and report your conduct to your -father. You know what _that_ means,” with marked emphasis. - -Joe knew only too well. Spoiled and indulged by a silly mother, bullied -by Pauline, the only person he held in wholesome awe was his father. -Some of his indiscretions had been exploited in the newspapers, and -before coming to Washington, his father had lain down a cast-iron rule -for him to follow in the future. Joe moved uneasily in his chair. - -“There’s no occasion for you and Pauline to get excited,” he protested. -“It won’t take me ten minutes to shift into my dress suit.” - -“Take time enough to make yourself presentable,” cautioned Pauline. -“I’m particular as to the appearance of my escorts.” - -“One wouldn’t guess it, judging from the men you have hanging around,” -sneered Joe, wrath overcoming discretion. - -“That will do,” Mrs. Calhoun-Cooper stamped her foot. “Joseph, go at -once to your room; the car is already waiting for you and Pauline.” - -Muttering uncomplimentary remarks under his breath, Joe started for the -door. Passing his father’s desk his eyes fell on a pile of apparently -unopened letters awaiting Representative Calhoun-Cooper’s return -from the Capitol where he had been detained since noon. Recognizing -the handwriting on the topmost envelope, Joe’s flushed face paled, -and a slight shiver ran down his back. Pauline, intent on arranging -a corsage bouquet, paid no further attention to her brother, and -Mrs. Calhoun-Cooper was equally absorbed in watching her. Joe paused -a moment in indecision; then leaned over and palmed the letter with -neatness and dispatch. - -Judge and Mrs. Erastus Walbridge’s handsome residence was _en fête_ -when Pauline and Joe finally put in an appearance. The spacious rooms -and hallways, festooned with Southern smilax in which were twined -tiny iridescent electric lights, and hung with holly, mistletoe, and -poinsettia, resembled fairyland. Mrs. Walbridge’s Christmas Eve dances -had become a time-honored institution, and invitations to them were -eagerly sought. She insisted that her guests should arrive at half-past -nine and depart at two o’clock; such early dancing hours being kept at -no other house in the National Capital. As she always provided the best -of music and the most delicious of suppers, society invariably abided -by her rulings, although sometimes enjoying a hearty laugh behind her -back. - -Pauline did not linger in the dressing-room. Taking her cloak check, -she hastened into the ballroom followed by Joe, who presented a -remarkably immaculate appearance considering the short time consumed -in changing his clothes. Mrs. Walbridge, conscious that the hour was -getting late, received them with some stiffness, but Pauline’s profuse -apologies for their tardy arrival caused her to unbend. - -“I think you already know Baron von Valkenberg,” she said, as the -diplomat joined them, and in a second more Pauline was dancing with him. - -Joe, left to himself, for Mrs. Walbridge’s attention was instantly -claimed by an older guest, saw Marjorie Langdon standing talking to -several friends and crossed the room to speak to her. He did not share -his family’s antipathy for Marjorie. It took him several moments to -dodge the dancers as he progressed across the floor, and just as he -reached Marjorie’s side Chichester Barnard came up. - -“No you don’t, Barnard,” he exclaimed. “First come, first served. My -dance, Miss Langdon?” - -“I beg your pardon, I have a prior claim,” protested Barnard. - -“Quite wrong,” smiled Marjorie. “I am promised to nobody for this -dance.” - -“Then I’m Johnny on the spot,” chimed in Joe, triumphantly. “Come,” and -placing his arm about Marjorie’s waist, the two danced down the room. - -Refusing to meet the eyes of several wallflowers who were looking -hopefully in his direction, Barnard idly watched the gay throng, as the -waxed floor swayed under the tread of flying feet. - -“The popular Mr. Barnard not dancing!” exclaimed a voice over his -shoulder, and turning he found Pauline standing at his elbow. - -“I was looking for you,” he answered readily, “but I thought I saw you -with von Valkenberg....” - -“He was sent for to go to the telephone,” she pouted prettily, “and had -to excuse himself.” - -“Let me take his place,” and clasping her hand they joined the dancers. -When the music stopped Barnard secured a glass of punch for his partner -and himself, and they strolled about, at last going into what Mrs. -Walbridge called her “tea-room.” - -“Isn’t that Joe and Miss Langdon sitting over there?” questioned -Pauline, indicating a deep window recess partly screened from the -general view by tall palms. - -“Yes.” - -“Suppose we join them,” paying no attention to the shortness of his -tone. “Joe is so susceptible to pretty women, and Miss Langdon is more -than pretty. How does she get on with Mrs. Fordyce?” - -“Very well, I believe.” - -“Then she must have a remarkable disposition, for I am told that Mrs. -Fordyce’s peculiarities make her difficult to live with,” responded -Pauline. “A friend of mother’s acted as her companion in San Francisco -while Janet was at boarding-school, and she said Mrs. Fordyce’s -curious....” she broke off abruptly. “Good evening, Miss Langdon,” -sweetly. “I am afraid I shall have to carry off my brother,” slipping -her arm inside his as he rose at her approach. Joe’s face darkened, and -he raged inwardly. It was like Pauline to spoil his fun and make him -appear ridiculous. - -“Be satisfied with Mr. Barnard, sister mine,” he said coolly. “I am -having a very good time where I am.” - -“I have no doubt of that,” Pauline’s voice was venomous under its honey -sweetness. “But do think of poor Miss Langdon! There are two débutantes -anxious to meet you, dear, so come; Miss Langdon will excuse us.” - -“Oh, certainly,” Marjorie allowed a faint hint of her secret amusement -to creep into her charmingly modulated voice. “I quite understand. -Shall I keep a dance for you later, Mr. Cooper?” purposely omitting the -“Calhoun.” - -“Well, rather; two at the very least,” pleaded Joe. “Do, Miss Langdon, -I’ll be right back.” - -“Coming, Mr. Barnard?” inquired Pauline, then bit her lip as he shook -his head. - -“I have the next dance with Miss Langdon, so of course----” a courteous -bow completed his sentence, and Pauline turned abruptly on her heel and -left them. - -“A curious pair,” commented Barnard. “Cooper appears completely under -his sister’s thumb.” - -“She has the stronger personality.” - -“You put it politely,” laughed Barnard. “Miss Calhoun-Cooper is a -handsome vixen.” - -“A type you do not admire.” - -“I admire no type,” smoothly. “Only one girl.” - -“Janet will be complimented.” - -“I was not referring to Miss Janet....” - -“Actions speak louder than words.” - -“Not when the wrong construction is put on them.” - -“Must we go over that again?” asked Marjorie wearily. - -“Yes,” vehemently. “On my word of honor I never gave that ring to -Janet.” - -“What a liar you are, Chichester.” - -Barnard’s hand closed over her wrist in a grip that made her wince. “By -heaven! you must take that back.” - -For reply she shrugged her shoulders disdainfully. Her open scorn stung -him. Freeing her wrist, he fumbled in his vest pocket, then drew out -his signet ring and held it before her. - -“Are you convinced, O Doubter?” he asked. - -Marjorie shot a swift look at him, and then at the gold circlet in his -hand. “How did you get it back?” - -“By asking for it.” - -“On what grounds?” - -“That I lost the ring the night of their first dinner-dance.” - -Marjorie’s scornful regard swept him from head to foot. - -“Too flimsy,” she commented. “I have been fooled by you once too often.” - -Between rage and passion Barnard’s habitual self-control forsook him. -Catching her hand he forcibly closed her fingers over the ring. - -“It’s yours, yours--do you hear!” - -“No, no,” she retreated several steps from him, and he followed her, -his face alight with passion. - -“My own darling!” - -But she struck down his encircling arm, and fled back into the -drawing-room. - -Pausing to regain her usual tranquil bearing, she discovered she had -stopped beside Duncan Fordyce, and she drew back. During the past -week an indefinable something in Duncan’s manner, an aloofness, and -a lack of the gentle deference he had first accorded her, had been -noticeable. From seeing him frequently, she hardly saw him at all. -She partly turned and studied him attentively. The dimple, almost a -deft, relieved his stubborn chin of some of its aggressiveness, and -while he could never be called handsome, he carried the “hall mark,” -and his fine figure never showed to better advantage than in a dress -suit, the crucial test offered to mankind by modern customs tailors. -Involuntarily she contrasted him with Barnard, and admitted in her own -mind, that the latter, as ingratiating and handsome as he was, suffered -by the comparison. Her woman’s intuition warned her that Duncan was a -man to be trusted, while Barnard.... - -Tired of watching the dancers, Duncan swung around to leave the -ballroom and almost collided with her. - -“You here!” he exclaimed. “And I didn’t know it.” He pulled himself up, -and his manner changed. “You must think me very rude, Miss Marjorie.” - -“Oh, no, only absorbed,” lightly, scanning the scene before her. -“There’s Janet dancing with Tom Nichols.” - -“As per usual,” Duncan laughed outright. “Where are your eyes, Miss -Chaperon?” - -Marjorie reddened. “Upon my word, I look on Tom as a brother--I never -thought....” her voice trailed off, and Duncan waited in vain for her -to finish her sentence. - -“Nichols is a good fellow,” he said finally. “I like him. Shall we -dance?” - -The invitation was given in so perfunctory a tone that Marjorie’s -ears tingled. She checked the curt refusal on her lips, and instead -accepted with a nonchalance which matched his own. He should pay for -his indifference, pay dearly, she vowed to herself, and her alluring -smile stirred his pulses. Like many big men he was extremely light on -his feet, and Marjorie circled the room with him in complete enjoyment -of the dance. Suddenly her strength deserted her, and she stumbled and -leaned heavily on his arm. - -“The heat,” she murmured, as alarmed he bent toward her. “I will be -better in the hall.” - -Shielding her from the other dancers, he helped her from the room. The -cooler atmosphere outside revived her somewhat, and she was mumbling -some words of apology into Duncan’s anxious ear when Mrs. Walbridge -hove in sight. Seeing the pair sitting on the stairs, she moved toward -them as rapidly as her avoirdupois permitted. Quickly Duncan explained -the situation to her. - -“You poor child,” she said. “Go right upstairs to my bedroom and lie -down. You will find a pitcher of ice water up there, or do you prefer -a glass of champagne?” Marjorie replied in the negative. “Then go -right up, my dear; I’ll be along presently,” and she moved toward the -ballroom. - -“Would you like me to go with you?” inquired Duncan anxiously. “Or -shall I ring for a servant?” - -“Neither, please. I know the house well, and I’ll be all right after a -short rest. You’ve been very kind,” holding out her hand impulsively. -He held it tightly in both his own for a second, then silently left -her. She watched his tall form out of sight, and sighing started slowly -upstairs. - -“Well, Duncan, where have you been hiding?” asked Janet, meeting him on -his return to the ballroom. - -“Smoking,” laconically. “Do you want to dance?” - -“Of course I do,” with uncompromising honesty. “You haven’t been near -me this evening.” - -“I saw you were plentifully supplied with partners,” Duncan suited his -step to Janet’s. “Having a good time?” - -“Oh, lovely,” and Janet’s animated face attested the fact. “Where’s -Marjorie?” They had reached the end of the room, and as they made the -turn, a man left the group of stags and placed a detaining hand on -Duncan’s shoulder. - -“Brother and sister dancing together,” laughed Barnard. “This will -never do. Split this number with me, Miss Janet?” - -“Perhaps I will,” Janet hesitated. “It will serve you right, Duncan; -you’ve neglected me shamefully....” waving a gay farewell she and -Barnard disappeared in the crowd of dancers. Duncan, making his way to -the smoking-room, encountered Pauline, and paused to talk with her. - -Barnard, conversing as he danced, finally observed Pauline and Duncan -sitting together. “Your brother had better resign himself to the -inevitable; Miss Calhoun-Cooper has her talons on him,” he laughed. - -“You don’t know Duncan,” retorted Janet. “He has a will of his -own.....” An awkward couple cannonaded heavily against her.... “Ouch!” - -“Are you hurt?” questioned Barnard in alarm, as Janet came to an abrupt -stop. - -“I think that man has lamed me for life,” she groaned. “His heel came -down on my instep.” - -“The cow; he needs a ten-acre lot to dance in!” Barnard scowled at the -receding couple. “Hadn’t you better sit down, Janet?” - -“Where?” and she glanced despairingly about. - -“Come this way,” pointing to the tea-room, and Janet limped after him -to the window recess behind the palms, and settled herself comfortably -on the wide cushioned window-seat. “You must be very tired, my -dearest,” glancing solicitously at her. “The penalty for being the -belle of the ball.” - -“You shouldn’t thrust honors upon me,” she laughed. - -“There’s nothing too good for you,” he whispered. “No wonder men adore -you; you little darling”--she moved uneasily as his arm slipped around -her waist. “Why won’t you let me speak to your father?” - -“Not yet,” she stammered. “A little more time, Chichester----” - -Barnard did not conceal his chagrin and disappointment. “So that -you may receive attentions from other men?” he asked, his jealousy -instantly aflame. - -“You wrong me,” Janet drew herself away with gentle dignity. “You, -least of all, have no cause for jealousy. Only, Chichester, I must know -my own mind before our engagement is announced.” - -“Have it your own way; I am wax in your hands,” he said fondly. - -“Hark! there goes the music,” Janet studied her dance card. “It must be -an extra.” - -“Good, we’ll sit it out together,” and he took her hand. - -“To think tomorrow is Christmas,” said Janet dreamily, a few minutes -later. “Or is it midnight now?” Barnard pulled out his watch, and her -attention was focused on the handsome seal that hung from the gold fob. -“Let me see it, Chichester?” - -He seemed not to hear her request. “Only eleven!” he exclaimed. “It -must be later. I believe my watch has stopped. Can you hear any -ticking?” raising it to her ear. - -[Illustration: “She was about to call her by name, when Janet quietly -took up a diamond sunburst.”] - -Upstairs in Mrs. Walbridge’s sumptuously furnished bedroom Marjorie -rested on the lounge in an alcove. Only one electric light over -the dressing-table was turned on, and the semi-darkness of the large -room proved a welcome refuge from the glare and heat downstairs, and -the deadly faintness which had almost overcome Marjorie, gradually -disappeared. An occasional shiver shook her, and she groped about and -pulled up the eiderdown quilt which lay folded at the foot of the -lounge. Through the half-shut door strains of music came faintly, -preventing her from dozing off, and she turned restlessly on her -pillow. Suddenly conscious that her left hand was tightly clenched, -she loosened her cramped fingers, and discovered that she still held -Barnard’s signet ring concealed in her rumpled handkerchief. - -At that moment the hall door was pushed gently open, and a young girl -came into the room. Without glancing into the shadows about her, she -moved directly to the dressing-table and stood arranging her hair. As -she halted under the full rays of the light, Marjorie recognized Janet. -She was about to call her by name, when Janet quietly took up a diamond -sunburst from the jewel-box on the dressing-table, and deliberately -pinned it under the folds of lace on her bodice, then glided from the -room as noiselessly as she had entered. - -Petrified with astonishment Marjorie, hardly able to believe the -evidence of her senses, remained on the lounge for one long minute; -then collecting her wits, she flung the eiderdown quilt to the floor, -slipped Barnard’s ring inside her bodice, and stole from the room. She -found Janet standing on the outskirts of the large circle of guests -surrounding a Santa Claus, who was distributing gifts from his sack and -a beautifully decorated tree which had been carried into the center of -the ballroom. - -“See, Marjorie,” exclaimed Janet, turning at her touch. “Doesn’t the -little man make an adorable Santa?” - -“Who is he?” Marjorie wedged herself a little closer to Janet’s side. - -“I don’t know; some professional probably. What’s he giving to Captain -Nichols?” peering intently down the room. - -Quickly Marjorie seized her opportunity. Her fingers deftly felt among -the laces on Janet’s gown, unfastened the sunburst, and, concealing the -diamond pin in her handkerchief, she fled swiftly upstairs again. On -turning the knob of Mrs. Walbridge’s bedroom door she found it locked, -and startled, leaned trembling against the panels. How was she to -replace the sunburst in the jewel-box if she could not gain admission -to the room? - -“My pin, please,” said a cold voice from behind her, and wheeling, she -confronted Mrs. Walbridge. Mechanically Marjorie displayed the sunburst. - -“How----?” her voice died in her throat. - -“I came up to inquire how you were; found my jewel-box standing open, -the sunburst missing, you gone----” Mrs. Walbridge shrugged her -ponderous shoulders. “I locked my door to prevent a recurrence of----” -she broke off on meeting Marjorie’s uncomprehending stare, and her -harsh voice softened. “My affection for your aunt, Madame Yvonett, -seals my lips, but I shall not receive you again--good-night.” - -Taking the sunburst from Marjorie’s nerveless hand, she secured it in -her gown and returned to her guests, while slowly her meaning thrust -itself on the bewildered, frightened girl. Marjorie watched Mrs. -Walbridge in dumb agony; then made a hasty step forward as the older -woman reached the head of the staircase. But a thought stayed her: if -she told the truth she would expose Janet. - -Mrs. Walbridge had disappeared inside the ballroom when Marjorie, -clinging tightly to the bannisters for support, made her slow way down -the staircase. She paused an instant on the bottom landing. From the -ballroom came a burst of laughter and round after round of applause, -and Santa Claus, his empty sack slung across his shoulders, and his -cheeks redder than ever, bounded into the square hall. Before dashing -out of the front door, which a footman held open, he turned on his gay -pursuers, and raising his voice above the clamor, called: - -“‘A Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!’” - - - - -CHAPTER X - -IN THE COLD, GRAY DAWN - - -CHICHESTER BARNARD slipped off his evening coat and put on his -smoking-jacket, and pausing in front of his chiffonier, gazed hungrily -at a photograph of Marjorie Langdon leaning against his shaving-glass. -The edges were cut evenly, and to the most casual eye it was obvious -that the picture had been taken from a large silver frame from whose -center smiled a speaking likeness of Janet Fordyce. Barnard picked up -Marjorie’s photograph and studied it long and intently, and gradually -the features assumed a life-like outline and the eyes a natural fire, -so completely did her personality vitalize the inanimate photograph -under his rapt attention. With a shudder he dropped it face downward. - -“Ah! Madge, my darling,” he murmured sadly. “Janet may occupy the -silver frame, but not my heart. I am tempted, sorely tempted, but -dollars and sense go together.” - -Catching up a box of cigarettes, he switched off the electric light, -and entering his sitting-room, made his way to the fireplace where -fresh logs were burning merrily on the hearth. He pulled up a Morris -chair and warmed his hands at the blaze; then settled back and stared -at his surroundings. - -Barnard had inherited the Georgetown property on the death of his -aunts, and, not having the means to keep up the fine old mansion, and -finding it impossible to rent as a residence, he had had the building -remodeled and made into an apartment house. He kept one of the bachelor -apartments, comprising sitting-room, bedroom, and bath, for his own -use. The two rooms were large and airy, and the handsome antique -furniture, also an inheritance with the house, did not look amiss in -their familiar setting. - -Chichester Barnard was the last of a long line of distinguished -ancestors, and from his earliest youth pride of family had been drilled -into him, and the often repeated refrain, “A Barnard can do no wrong,” -became a fetish with him. He was as familiar with family tradition -as he was ignorant of true democracy, but soon after attaining his -majority he was forced to realize that past glory did not pay grocers’ -bills, and that his blue blood was not a useful commodity except in -drawing-rooms. The pricking of his inflated family pride brought in its -train a false value of money. With money what could he not accomplish? -What not buy? And the acquisition of money became his lode-star. - -By arduous work and much self-denial Barnard was winning a deserved -reputation in his profession, but his impetuous temperament chafed -at the slowness with which he accumulated money. He was constantly -seeking unscrupulous get-rich-quick schemes and other short cuts to -wealth, but with heart-breaking regularity they came to nothing. He had -met Marjorie Langdon two years before and had fallen madly in love with -her, had persuaded her to engage herself to him, and with a caution -which he inwardly despised, had made her promise not to tell Madame -Yvonett of their mutual attachment. He felt that if the engagement was -once announced he would be irrevocably bound to marry her; he longed -to marry her, but--he would not wed her while he was a poor man. He -despised poverty as before he had despised low birth. - -Exaggerated reports of Janet Fordyce’s reputed wealth, which she was -to inherit on coming of age, reached Barnard and aroused his cupidity. -In the past his affection for Marjorie had barred that all too -frequently traveled road to “Easy Street,” a marriage for money; but -he met Janet at a time when his finances were low, and the idea was -not so distasteful as formerly; particularly when the girl, beside her -wealth, had charm, youth, and a lovable disposition. But Barnard, like -many another man, was tempted to play with fire. The more inevitable -appeared his break with Marjorie, the more passionately he loved her, -and only the lure of wealth kept him steadfast in his purpose. - -Barnard was trying to pierce the future as he sat in his sitting-room, -the cold, gray dawn creeping through the window blinds, and he smoked -innumerable cigarettes with nervous rapidity. His roving eyes -restlessly examining each familiar piece of furniture, finally lighted -on the huge antique sofa near by. Instead of having legs, the base -of the sofa was a carved sphinx, a sadly battered sphinx, whose two -breasts had been cut off because Barnard’s spinster aunts had deemed -them immodest! - -Just as Barnard lighted another cigarette, a man, lying on the sofa, -rolled over and viewed him in stupid wonder. - -“Feeling better, Cooper?” inquired Barnard politely. - -“How’d I get here?” asked Joe, ignoring the other’s question. “And -where am I, anyhow?” - -“These are my diggings, and I brought you over here because you were so -hopelessly pickled I judged your sister had better be spared a glimpse -of you.” - -Slowly memory of the night returned to Joe’s befuddled brain, and he -sat bolt upright. - -“Washington isn’t so slow,” he volunteered, after due reflection. - -“There are plenty of people to help you go to the devil, here as -elsewhere,” retorted Barnard. “Better pull up, Cooper, it doesn’t pay.” - -“Nothing pays,” Joe growled disconsolately. “D--mn it, man, I don’t -want to listen to a temperance lecture,” and he rose a trifle -unsteadily. - -“Sit down, Cooper,” Barnard scanned him contemptuously, and Joe sulkily -resumed his seat. “I’ve said my say.” - -“Lot’s of snobs here,” commented Joe, after nursing his grievances -in silence for some time. “Take Duncan Fordyce, for instance; turned -me down this evening when I asked to be introduced to a girl he was -dancing with. I’ll get even with him, never fear.” - -Barnard ran an appraising eye over his companion, and a mental picture -of Duncan brought a smile to his lips. “Don’t try any hanky-panky -business with Fordyce,” he advised. “He might knock you into the other -world.” - -“I’m not such a fool as to try physical force; but there are other ways -of getting even,” Joe frowned, then winked. “I know a thing or two -about the Fordyce family.” - -Barnard blew ring after ring of smoke into the air and watched it -evaporate with idle attention. - -“Go carefully, Cooper,” he cautioned. “Damages for slander are heavy.” - -“It’s no slander, but gospel truth,” affirmed Joe. “I had it straight -from mother’s friend, Mrs. Watson, who was companion to Mrs. Fordyce -before they went abroad, and I know it’s true by the way Duncan Fordyce -acted when he heard me allude to the kink in his family,” and in a few -words he described the scene in the Turkish Bath. - -“That explains Fordyce’s lack of cordiality at Captain Nichol’s -quarters after the drill,” commented Barnard. “If I were you, Cooper, -I’d steer clear of arousing his wrath.” - -“He can’t injure me,” Joe swaggered with the courage induced by -overindulgence. “And you’ve been mighty white this evening; it’s only -right I should tip you off.” - -“Keep your confidences to yourself,” Barnard rose and kicked the fire -into a brighter blaze. “The matter does not concern me.” - -“Doesn’t it, eh? Well, if I was planning to marry a girl, an’ I heard -her family were dotty----” he stopped and shrank back as Barnard swung -on him. - -“What do you mean by your damnable insinuation?” he demanded, his eyes -flashing with indignation. - -“’Tisn’t a ’sinuation; it’s--it’s gospel truth I’m telling you,” -stuttered Joe, retreating to the farther end of the sofa. “Take your -hand off my collar. Anybody in San Francisco’ll tell you the Fordyces -are all crazy.” - -“You’ve said too much, and too little,” Barnard slowly returned to -his chair. “Go ahead and make good your statement, if you can,” -significantly. “And I warn you if I catch you lying, I won’t leave it -to Duncan Fordyce to finish you off.” - -“Nice way to talk to a friend who wants to do you a good turn,” whined -Joe. “You can prove what I say by writing to Mrs. Watson at Santa -Barbara. She says whenever any member of the Fordyce family dies -the physicians have to cauterize them--what do you make of that?” -triumphantly. - -“Only a precautionary measure to test death,” said Barnard calmly. “I -suppose the Fordyces have a dread of being buried alive.” - -“That applies to their mental condition----” Barnard shook his head -in utter disbelief, and Joe continued heatedly. “I tell you they are -unbalanced; why the old lady, Mrs. Fordyce----” - -“Is a hunchback, yes,” admitted Barnard. “She was injured in a railroad -accident--that has nothing to do with mental trouble.” - -“I’ve been told that injury to the spine does often affect the brain,” -Joe stuck obstinately to his contention. “Anyway Mrs. Fordyce developed -a mighty funny craze about dirt.” - -“Dirt?” Barnard’s attention was fully aroused. “Do you mean she has -mysophobia?” - -“Maybe that’s the word; what does it mean exactly?” - -“Mysophobia? A morbid fear of contamination--of soiling one’s hands by -touching anything....” - -“That’s it!” exclaimed Joe. “Mrs. Fordyce has a bad case of it. Mrs. -Watson said she insisted on washing her plates, knives, and forks -before eating; and she gave up traveling because of the dirt and dust -which nearly drove her mad, and just shut herself up.” - -“Poor soul!” ejaculated Barnard compassionately. “She must be in -perpetual torment.” - -“She’s tormented other people as well,” said Joe. “She grew so that -she wouldn’t touch money; and once she gave away a soiled dollar bill -to a beggar to get rid of it, then nearly had brain fever because she -imagined she had passed on some disease to innocent people. I believe -Calderon Fordyce spent a hundred just to trace that one dollar bill to -have it returned to the United States Treasury and redeemed, before -his wife got over the worrying about her sinfulness in passing along -dirty money. I wish she’d get rid of some of it in my direction.” - -“Dirt to dirt,” Barnard’s sneering tone was lost on Joe, who was busy -searching his empty pockets. “There is nothing discreditable to the -Fordyces in what you have told me, Cooper; quite to the contrary. And -while Mrs. Fordyce suffers from a curious mania, possibly superinduced -by her accident, she is not mentally unbalanced, and most certainly her -condition will not be inherited by her children. Janet told me she and -Duncan were born before the accident.” - -“They may not inherit that particular craze,” acknowledged Joe. “But -I tell you, man, there is insanity in the family. There is some story -about Janet; I don’t know exactly what it is, but Pauline can tell you. -She heard it from a schoolmate of Janet’s----” - -“And she heard it from someone else, and so on, and so on--bosh! utter -bosh!” Barnard brought down his clenched fist on the table with a force -that made the glasses ring. “If I hear you repeating this rot I’ll make -Washington too hot to hold you,” and cowed by his blazing wrath, Joe -mumbled a hasty promise. - - * * * * * - -Across Rock Creek the city lights were paling, and the cold gray dawn -found Marjorie still crouching before the dying embers of a grate -fire, where she had thrown herself on entering her bedroom some hours -before. Slowly, very slowly her numbed senses grasped the significance -of the occurrences of the night. Janet Fordyce was a kleptomaniac, and -she, Marjorie Langdon, was branded a thief--caught with the goods! She -shuddered in horror, and rubbed one cold hand over the other. Surely -her God was a just God? Why was she picked out to be the victim of -circumstance? First, Admiral Lawrence had believed her guilty of theft, -and now Mrs. Walbridge had practically ordered her from her house as a -thief. Of the theft of the codicil she could give no explanation, but -she could at least clear herself of the charge of stealing the diamond -sunburst by denouncing Janet. - -Ah, but could she? Her dazed wits invariably returned to that point in -her reasoning; was she not in honor bound to shield Janet? Mrs. Fordyce -had taken her word in the face of her discharge from Admiral Lawrence’s -employ. Since being with Janet she had met with every courtesy and -kindness, and Mrs. Fordyce had gone out of her way to make her feel at -home. No, a thousand times no, she could never betray Janet. - -Her decision reached, a feeling of relief swept over her, to be checked -the next moment by the realization that even if she did denounce Janet -she would not be believed. She was poor, she needed money, she had the -opportunity, and she stole; so would read the verdict. Janet had but to -ask, and a dozen diamond sunbursts, if need be, would be purchased to -gratify her whim. She did not need to steal. - -Marjorie rose slowly to her feet and stretched her stiff muscles, -switched on the light, and then commenced to undress, but she gave -little thought to what she was doing, her entire attention being taken -up in trying to recall what she knew of kleptomania. She remembered -being told that it was a mental derangement, an irresistible propensity -to steal, and that the kleptomaniac cared nothing for the objects -stolen as soon as the impulse to steal was gratified. Her father had -once told her of a friend who would eat no food that was not stolen, -and his servants (fortunately he was wealthy) had to secrete food -about the house and permit him to steal it before he would satisfy his -hunger. She had also read somewhere of a kleptomaniac so obsessed by -his craze that he stole the crucifix from his confessor. - -Merry, charming Janet to be the victim of such mental disorder! -Marjorie wrung her hands in agony. Was there no way to help the child? -If the news ever leaked out it would kill her delicate mother. - -Marjorie, pleading her indisposition, had left Janet at the dance under -Duncan’s care, and a sympathetic footman having engaged a cab for her, -she had returned at once to the Fordyce residence. Some hours later -Janet had rapped at her door and asked how she was, and satisfied with -Marjorie’s answer, had gone straight to her room without entering, to -Marjorie’s intense relief; she would have broken down if she had faced -her then. - -Marjorie was about to get into bed when she spied a note addressed to -her lying on top of a neat package on her bedstead. Sitting down on the -edge of the bed, she tore open the envelope and listlessly read the -few written lines; then, startled, read them a second and third time. -The note was from her clergyman informing her that the contents of the -accompanying package had been found the Sunday before in the Fordyce -pew, and he thought it best to send them to her that she might return -the property to the rightful owner. - -The note slipped unheeded to the floor, and with trembling fingers -she tore open the bundle, and out fell a dozen or more handsome silk -and lace doilies. Not one was alike, and a cry of horror broke from -Marjorie, as, picking them up, she recognized them as belonging to -hostesses with whom she and Janet had recently lunched and dined. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -GREAT EXPECTATIONS - - - LAWRENCE. On Monday, December 24, Margaret A., beloved wife of Stephen - Lawrence, Rear Admiral, U. S. N., aged sixty-two years. Funeral - from her late residence on Wednesday at two o’clock. Interment at - Arlington. Kindly omit flowers. - -Chichester Barnard stared at the printed notice in the death column, -then let the newspaper slip from his fingers to the floor. On looking -up he caught the direct gaze of Duncan Fordyce, who had entered -the smoking-room some time before, and was observing his changing -countenance with some secret astonishment. - -“Hello, Fordyce,” Barnard pulled himself together. “Sorry I didn’t see -you before, but this confounded paper gave me a shock.” - -“No bad news I hope?” inquired Duncan, placing a stamp on the letter he -took from his pocket. - -“Just read the notice of my aunt’s death,” and as Duncan murmured some -conventional condolences, he added, “Aunt Margaret was very decent to -me, but since her second marriage, I’ve seen very little of her. She -was really only my aunt by courtesy; her first husband having been my -uncle, Dimintry Barnard. Admiral Lawrence wasn’t adverse to picking up -a rich widow; I reckon he’ll inherit a pot of money now. How is your -sister today?” - -“Rather tired after the Walbridge dance,” Duncan yawned, then laughed. -“Washington hours are too much for me. I don’t see how the men here go -out to entertainments and do their work.” - -“They try it for a couple of years, and then give up society, at -least the dancing end of it. Has Miss Langdon recovered from her -indisposition of last night?” - -“She was down bright and early this morning,” replied Duncan -indifferently. “She appeared to be all right and in good spirits.” - -“That’s fine. By the way, she will be sorry to hear of Mrs. Lawrence’s -death; she was the Admiral’s secretary for several years.” - -“Indeed,” Duncan yawned again. “Is Admiral Lawrence still on the active -list?” - -“Oh, no, he retired five or six years ago. Where are you going?” as -Duncan rose. - -“Haven’t decided; think I’ll stroll around the Speedway.” - -“Wait a moment and I’ll go with you,” volunteered Barnard, and Duncan -halted uncertainly. “I must write a line to Admiral Lawrence and ask -if there’s anything I can do; it won’t take me long.” He was as good -as his word, and after dispatching the hastily scrawled note by a -messenger, he and Duncan left the Metropolitan Club and turned down -Seventeenth Street. - -It was the first time that Duncan had had more than five minutes -conversation alone with Barnard since their meeting, and he found him a -far more agreeable companion than he had anticipated. Barnard, when he -chose, was a brilliant talker, and his comments on the world in general -and Washington in particular elicited amused chuckles from Duncan as -they strolled along the picturesque driveway which skirts the Potomac -River. But strive as he would, he could not drag Duncan out of his -shell; every time he skillfully led the conversation to the Fordyces -and their plans for the future, Duncan retired into his habitual -reserve. Returning up Eleventh Street, Barnard paused at the corner of -Pennsylvania Avenue. - -“You know Madame Yvonett, Miss Langdon’s aunt, do you not?” he asked. - -“No, I was not at home when she called on my mother.” - -“Then you have missed meeting one of the most charming characters in -this city,” exclaimed Barnard vigorously. “Come with me now and we’ll -stop in and wish the dear old lady merry Christmas.” - -But Duncan held back. “I am afraid I....” - -“Oh, come along; we need only stay a moment. Your calling will gratify -Madame Yvonett. I overheard her asking Miss Langdon to bring you to see -her.” - -Duncan’s indecision vanished. “Very well,” he said, and the two men -continued their walk up the Avenue to Thirteenth Street. They found -the small house gay with Christmas wreaths, and a stiff and starched -Minerva ushered them into Madame Yvonett’s presence. Duncan’s eyes -brightened in keen appreciation as he bowed low before the stately -Quakeress. In fichu and cap, tied with a dainty bow under her chin, and -her soft gray silk, she looked the embodiment of beautiful old age. - -“I am pleased to meet thee, Friend Fordyce,” she said, giving him her -hand. “Thy sister, Janet, has spoken of thee most often.” - -“I wanted to come before,” Duncan drew up a chair near her, “but a -great deal of my time has been taken up with business.” - -“Business!” echoed Barnard, genuinely surprised. “I took you for a -gentleman of elegant leisure, didn’t you, Marjorie?” - -“Didn’t I what?” inquired Marjorie, entering from the dining-room where -she had been putting the finishing touches to the tea-table. - -“Did you know our friend here,” waving his hand toward Duncan, “is a -hardy son of toil?” - -Marjorie laughed. “Janet told me, Mr. Fordyce, that you have -explored....” - -“I have ambled about a bit,” admitted Duncan hastily. “But I am not an -explorer, only a lawyer.” - -“Indeed? I had no idea of it!” answered Marjorie. “Aunt Yvonett, the -eggnog is ready.” - -“Will thee come, friend, and drink a kindly glass with me?” asked the -Quakeress, laying her hand on Duncan’s arm. - -“Gladly,” and he led her into the dining-room, and to her high-back -chair. Barnard detained Marjorie as she was about to follow her aunt. - -“Have you no word of greeting for me?” he pleaded, lowering his voice. - -“Hush!” she cautioned. “Why did you bring Mr. Fordyce here?” - -Barnard glanced at her flushed cheeks in some surprise. “We were -walking together, and I suddenly hungered for a sight of you. I then -recollected having heard you say that you were coming here to be with -your aunt this afternoon, so I suggested dropping in.” - -“Tell me, Chichester, is that chattel mortgage all arranged?” she asked -in an urgent whisper. - -He nodded affirmatively, and her heart bounded with relief. “I’ll -bring you the papers; stay, on second thought you had better come -to the office.” He saw the shadow that crossed her face, and added -reproachfully, “Am I so hateful to you?” - -“That’s a debatable question,” she parried, avoiding his glance. By an -effort he checked a bitter retort as she pulled back the portière, and, -his face resuming its customary smiling mask, he followed her into the -dining-room. - -They found Madame Yvonett deep in conversation with Duncan. - -“Thee sees we have friends in common,” she announced, filling two -glasses with the frothy beverage before her. “Help thyself to the -sandwiches, Friend Barnard.” In spite of Chichester Barnard’s many -attempts to ingratiate himself with the Quakeress, she had never -dropped the formal address with him, although she had known his -relatives for many years. “Where is thy Cousin Rebekah, Marjorie?” - -“I ’specs dat’s Miss Becky at de do’ now,” volunteered Minerva, -emerging from the pantry as the bell sounded. “She done said she’d be -back drickly.” - -“Ask her to come right in here,” called Madame Yvonett. “Ah, Becky,” -seeing the spinster appear in the doorway. “Thee must be cold, come and -have a glass of eggnog.” - -But Miss Rebekah declined the offer with some asperity; she considered -eggnog the “devil’s brew,” and, but that a certain fear of Madame -Yvonett’s displeasure restrained her, would then and there have -delivered a forceful homily on strong drink. She had met Chichester -Barnard on previous visits, and was a staunch admirer of the handsome -lawyer, whose resemblance to her hero, Byron, made a strong appeal to -her latent sentimentality. He greeted her warmly, and after Duncan was -introduced, placed a chair for her next his own. - -“Where has thee been, Becky?” asked Madame Yvonett, turning back from -giving directions to Minerva to bring the spinster a cup of weak tea. - -“I ran over to ask Admiral Lawrence if there was anything I could do -for him,” explained Miss Rebekah. “Margaret Lawrence was my cousin, -and being her only relative in Washington I thought it was the least I -could do.” - -“Was she not related to thee, Friend Barnard?” inquired Madame Yvonett, -turning to him. - -“I was only her nephew by marriage, but she was a good friend to me.” -The regret in his voice and manner rang true, even to Marjorie’s -watchful ears. “Mrs. Lawrence was a noble woman, and will be missed by -many.” - -“She was very, very good to me,” a lump rose in Marjorie’s throat, and -she hastily cleared her voice. “Did you learn any particulars of her -death, Cousin Becky?” - -“Yes, I saw the nurse.” Miss Rebekah was in her element. She enjoyed -nothing so much as the sound of her own voice, and particularly reveled -in funereal topics; she attended her relatives’ obsequies both near and -far, and the more harrowing the circumstances surrounding their deaths, -the more her soul thrilled in morbid enjoyment. “The nurse--what’s her -name, Marjorie?” - -“Do you mean Kathryn Allen?” - -“Yes, that’s she; such a pretty girl,” she interpolated. “Well, Nurse -Allen told me that Cousin Margaret did not suffer toward the last; in -fact, that during the past six weeks she never regained consciousness.” - -“Never regained consciousness,” repeated Barnard slowly. “What a -blessed relief.” - -“Yes, wasn’t it,” went on Miss Rebekah, addressing him directly. “I -knew you would understand. Poor Cousin Margaret was in torment until -she became delirious and later lapsed into a comatose condition. I saw -Admiral Lawrence for a few minutes; he inquired particularly for you, -Marjorie, and desired to know where you could be found quickly.” - -“Oh!” A faint, very faint inflection of fear in the monosyllable caught -Duncan’s quick ear, and he darted a keen look at Marjorie, but she was -crumbling the end of her sandwich between her fingers, and he learned -nothing from her blank expression. - -“I suppose he wanted to get you to answer notes, and attend to things -generally,” continued Miss Rebekah, pouring out a cup of tea from -the pot Minerva set before her. “I told the Admiral where you were, -Marjorie, and how kind Mrs. Fordyce has been to you. I went quite into -details,” she smiled at Duncan. “I even mentioned some of the things -Marjorie told me about you....” - -“Cousin Becky,” Marjorie looked as angry as she felt. “You certainly -are an----” catching her aunt’s warning look, she held back the words -“unmitigated nuisance” with which she had intended finishing her -sentence. - -“Well, my dear, I went into particulars because it took the Admiral’s -mind away from his sorrow,” continued Miss Rebekah, her air of -self-congratulation upon her tact causing Duncan to smile covertly. -“And he was very interested in hearing all about your good fortune, -Marjorie, and said he was sorry Mrs. Fordyce hadn’t written him to ask -about you----” Marjorie set down her eggnog glass with a thud, she had -drunk the delicious concoction at a gulp, and was grateful for the -warmth which stole through her chilled body. - -“How is thy good mother?” asked Madame Yvonett, addressing Duncan. -“I hoped that she would come in this afternoon and help me keep -the Yuletide; thee sees, this is the only day I indulge in such -dissipation,” touching the punch bowl. - -“If mother went anywhere, I know she would come to you, Madame -Yvonett; but she insists on being a recluse.” Barnard, conversing with -Miss Rebekah, gave part of his attention to Duncan’s remarks. Joe -Calhoun-Cooper’s confidences were fresh in his memory. “I wish you -could induce mother to see more of her friends.” - -“It is not good for any of us to live within ourselves,” acknowledged -the gentle Quakeress. “A little natural diversion fits us for the ills -of life. But thy mother lives so for others, she is never alone.” - -“You are right,” answered Duncan heartily. “But of late years I have -been so little with my family, I perhaps notice mother’s withdrawal -more than my father and sister.” - -“I wonder what has become of Janet,” chimed in Marjorie, looking with -some uneasiness at Duncan. “She said she would join me here at five -o’clock.” - -“I left her reading in the library.” Duncan looked at his watch. “It is -after six.” - -“So late!” Barnard rose in some haste. “I am afraid I shall have to -leave as I am dining with friends at Chevy Chase, and I have barely -time to dress and get there. Madame Yvonett, it is always such a -pleasure to see you; I hope you will let me come again soon.” - -“Thee is very welcome,” responded Madame Yvonett kindly, and with a -quick word of farewell to the others, Barnard took his departure. - -As the front door banged shut, Marjorie lifted her furs and coat from -the chair where she had thrown them. “I really must go,” she said, and -kissing her aunt affectionately, she whispered low, “don’t let Cousin -Becky torment the life out of you.” - -“Tut, child, she is one of my diversions,” whispered back Madame -Yvonett placidly. “Never take Becky seriously, nor any other troubles,” -glancing anxiously at the dark circles under Marjorie’s eyes. “God -guard thee in His Holy care,” she murmured, and held Marjorie close, -then pushed her gently from her. “Thee must not tarry. Friend Fordyce,” -as Duncan advanced to bid her good-night, “thy coming has given me much -pleasure....” - -“May I come again?” - -“Thee may indeed,” with a cordiality that matched his eagerness. -“Give this sprig of mistletoe,” breaking off a piece from the small -branch suspended from the newel post, “to thy mother with the season’s -greetings.” - -“Thank you,” Duncan pocketed the tiny sprig with care, and shaking -hands with Miss Rebekah, who hovered in the background, he returned to -Marjorie’s side. “Shall we walk or ride?” he asked, as the door closed -behind them. - -“Have we time to walk?” - -“Plenty,” and with a strange, shy reluctance Marjorie accompanied -him across Franklin Square and up Fourteenth Street to Massachusetts -Avenue. “Where did you get your seven-league boots?” he asked, breaking -the prolonged silence. - -“One has to have them to keep up with you,” she retorted. - -“I beg your pardon,” slacking his pace. “I did not realize----” he -again relapsed into silence, and Marjorie’s thoughts flew swiftly to -Janet and the problems which confronted her. - -After the discovery of the doilies she had spent the early hours of the -morning trying to devise some plan to assist Janet; at all hazards the -girl must be protected against her curious craze, but how--how? Madame -Yvonett was the only one she could confide in, and she had gone there -early that afternoon hoping to see her aunt alone, but old friends had -called, and the time had passed without giving her an opportunity to -ask her advice. A whisper of kleptomania, and Janet’s fair name would -be bandied from door to door in scandal-loving Washington. - -“Have you spent all your life in this city?” asked Duncan, with such -abruptness that Marjorie started perceptibly. - -“Yes--no,” she stammered, the question taking her by surprise. “I used -to go every summer to our New England home, but Aunt Yvonett prefers -returning to Philadelphia whenever I--I--have a vacation.” She did not -add that lack of funds had made them all the year residents of the -National Capital, but Duncan guessed the reason underlying her slight -hesitancy. Was there no way to win her confidence? - -“How long were you Admiral Lawrence’s secretary?” - -“Over two years,” shortly; then a sudden thought struck her. “Do you -know Admiral Lawrence?” and the darkness hid her loss of color. - -“I met him when he was with the Pacific fleet, and before his promotion -to rear-admiral. He has the reputation of being a fine type of an -American naval officer.” - -“Have you met him recently?” - -“I? No. Take care of that curb.” She stumbled somewhat and he assisted -her across the street. “My father entertained the officers of the fleet -whenever they came to San Francisco, but I doubt if Admiral Lawrence -will remember me. I only saw him when home on my college vacations.” - -Marjorie heaved a sigh of relief; she dreaded his hearing of Admiral -Lawrence’s charge against her, for she feared his condemnation. In -their daily intercourse she had gradually realized that the silent, -reserved man had high ideals and exacted a high standard in his -friends. His altered manner of the past week had hurt as well as -piqued her; until then she had taken his companionship and good -opinion as a matter of course. Duncan was some eight years Janet’s -senior, and his silent watchfulness had contributed to Marjorie’s -success as a chaperon. He had insisted that his sister show her every -consideration, and that her advice should be followed in all social -matters. She could ill afford to lose such a friend. - -“It was very kind of you to call on Aunt Yvonett,” she said, changing -the subject abruptly. - -“I had intended to go before this,” replied Duncan courteously. “Mother -and Janet have spoken so frequently of Madame Yvonett that I have been -very anxious to meet her.” - -“Everyone loves Aunt Yvonett,” answered Marjorie warmly. “I wish my -fairy godmother had bequeathed me her power of fascination.” Duncan -made no reply, and Marjorie ran up the short flight of steps of the -Fordyce home, and laid an impatient finger on the electric bell. - -“I have my key,” remonstrated Duncan, pulling it out and opening the -front door. “I hope our long walk hasn’t tired you,” as she stepped -past him into the house. - -“Not a bit,” pausing in the hall while he divested himself of his -overcoat. “I feel as fresh as a daisy.” - -Duncan inspected her carefully, from her well-shod feet to her -imperiously carried head, and he was conscious of an accelerated -pulse as he caught the full witchery of her lovely eyes. He stepped -swiftly to her side, a longing to touch her, to hold her in his arms -overmastered him. - -“I wonder where Janet can be,” she said, the coquetry dropping from -her, as her anxieties returned. “Do ask Perkins if she is in the house.” - -Duncan drew back. “Janet? Do you think of no one but Janet?” and -without waiting for an answer he walked down the hall, but before he -left her, Marjorie had seen in Duncan’s eyes the message which every -daughter of Eve translates by instinct. With strangely fluttering -heart she sought her room and in that safe haven paused for breath. -Day-dreams were not for her; she was only his mother’s paid employee, -and ... one man had not scrupled to lie to her.... - -Over in Georgetown, Barnard, in immaculate evening dress, opera hat and -overcoat, paused to light another cigarette. “So Aunt Margaret never -regained consciousness,” he said aloud. “_What_ a relief!” - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -A TANGLED WEB - - -EARLIER that same afternoon Janet had started for Madame Yvonett’s -residence intending to join Marjorie there, but as she crossed Dupont -Circle into Massachusetts Avenue, an automobile drew up alongside the -curb, and a cheery voice hailed her. - -“This is luck,” exclaimed Tom Nichols, springing out of his roadster, -and clasping her hand warmly. “Where are you going Miss Janet?” - -“Down to see Madame Yvonett,” Janet’s piquant face dimpled into a -smiling welcome. - -“Fine! I was just on the way to her house myself; jump in and I’ll take -you there.” - -“All right, thanks.” Janet climbed into the motor car, and after -arranging the rug over her lap, Tom took his seat behind the steering -wheel, and in a second more they were off. At the corner of Scott -Circle Tom slackened speed. - -“Suppose we go for a spin first,” he coaxed. “It’s a glorious day for a -run in the country.” - -“But I promised to meet Marjorie----” - -“Well, so you can,” cutting her objection short. “If we get there by -half-past five it will be time enough; Cousin Yvonett always has a -late dinner. Besides, it’s always better to be late at a party, it -insures a warm welcome.” - -“Sometimes too warm a one,” laughed Janet “What will mother say to my -going motoring with you and leaving Marjorie behind?” - -“Oh, your mother won’t mind, I’m only Marjorie’s cousin,” carelessly. -“I’m sure your physician will prescribe plenty of ozone after last -night’s dance, and the air’s glorious today, do come?” - -Janet wavered. She was pretty certain her mother would not approve, -but--it was a perfect winter’s day, clear and bracing; she was tired of -a stuffy house, and then--and then she admired and liked Tom Nichols. -Her warm blood pulsed a trifle faster, then ebbed more slowly. Was it -disloyal to Chichester Barnard to crave the presence of another man? -She put the thought from her with frowning impatience. - -“I can go a little distance,” she conceded. - -“Bully for you!” and the glance he turned on her held more than -admiration. “Will you be warm enough?” - -“Oh, plenty,” Janet pulled the collar of her fur coat up about her -ears, and snuggled back in her seat, the heavy laprobe drawn tightly in -place. - -“These side doors keep out the drafts,” as he spoke Tom swung his car -around the circle and continued down the avenue. “How would you like to -go out to Bladensburg and see the battlefield?” - -“Isn’t that too far?” - -“No; it’s only about five miles from here, we’ll do it in no time,” -and not waiting for an answer, Tom accelerated the motor, and they -shot past several carriages and automobiles. In a short time he swung -the car into H Street. That thoroughfare being comparatively free of -traffic, he turned to his silent companion. “Why did Marjorie leave the -dance so early last night?” - -“She had a bad sick headache, poor dear,” with careless compassion. “I -don’t think Marjorie’s very strong.” - -“She isn’t exactly robust, but I wouldn’t call her delicate,” replied -Tom. “How is she today?” - -“Apparently all right again,” Janet filled her lungs with delicious -cold air. “Mother says Marjorie has too much on her mind; perhaps that -is the reason she is so distrait lately.” - -“It must be that, usually she is the cheeriest soul imaginable,” Tom -sounded his siren as he cut across an intersecting street. “I’m afraid -Marjorie sees too much of----” he stopped, and his face clouded. His -code of honor prevented him from running down a possible rival behind -his back; and rumor had it that Janet was captivated by Barnard’s -handsome face and charm of manner, nor could he hurt her by speaking of -Barnard’s past infatuation for Marjorie. It would not be playing fair -to Marjorie; he could not make trouble between the two girls. In his -heart he vowed Barnard should not win Janet. “Marjorie has seen too -much of hard times,” he amended. “Financial difficulties play hob with -a person’s physical and mental condition.” - -“Mental condition,” repeated Janet thoughtfully. “I wonder if that -accounts for----take care----oh, why will children play in the -streets?” as Tom swerved the car just in time to avoid running over a -little pickaninny. - -“Sorry I frightened you,” he said contritely, turning the car into the -Bladensburg Pike. “Have you ever been out this way?” - -“No. Where did you say we are going?” - -“Bladensburg; it’s a quaint old-fashioned little town and of historic -interest because the Battle of Bladensburg was fought there in 1814....” - -“When the British defeated our troops and captured Washington?” - -“Correct. I’m glad to see, Miss Janet, you know American history. Not -long ago I was asked to meet some _nouveaux riches_ at dinner, and an -American girl, who is now an English countess, broke into a discussion -about Gettysburg to ask in a soft drawl: ‘Gettysburg? What _is_ -Gettysburg?’” - -They had left the city’s unattractive outskirts behind, and were -passing through more open country, and Janet, delighted and -light-hearted, sat silently watching the landscape with ever-increasing -interest. - -“There’s Bladensburg,” Tom pointed to the church spires and roofs -of houses showing plainly among the leafless trees. “These houses,” -motioning to his right, “are some of them very old, the estates having -been owned by prominent colonials.” - -“Where’s the battlefield?” - -“Right here,” indicating the road they were on. “The fighting began -beyond the further bridge spanning the eastern branch of the Potomac, -and our troops fell back through the village and down this turnpike, -the British in hot pursuit.” - -Janet’s active imagination instantly conjured up a vision of the -fighting, flying men, and the quiet sleepy Maryland village became -transformed to her; she could almost hear the rattle of muskets, hoarse -commands, and the roar of cannon, so vivid was the illusion. - -Tom brought his car to a standstill at the side of the road near a -short bridge, and pointed to a dip in the rolling meadow through which -a creek meandered in long and graceful curves. - -“The famous dueling ground of Bladensburg,” he explained. “It was -there that Commodore Stephen Decatur, the ‘Bayard of the Seas,’ met -his brother officer, James Barron, and fell mortally wounded by him. -I believe in those days trees masked the gully from sight; anyway our -fiery statesmen of the past came out to this ‘field of honor’ to get -satisfaction from their enemies and traducers.” - -“What excitement would ensue if they did it now!” Janet thrilled at the -thought. - -“Congressmen of today belong to the ancient and honorable order of -ink-slingers,” answered Tom. “This dueling ground never saw an opera -bouffe affair. Men here fought to kill, and generally succeeded in -their object.” - -“Isn’t the Calvert Mansion somewhere in this neighborhood?” - -“Yes, at Riverdale. It’s the Lord Baltimore Club now. We’ll run up -there and you can see it,” starting the motor as he spoke. - -“I think we ought to be getting back,” said Janet regretfully. - -“There’s plenty of time,” eagerly. “Riverdale’s only a little over a -mile away; we’ll be there before you know it.” - -Tom kept the car down to reasonable speed while passing through -Bladensburg, then opened the throttle, and they sped down the State -road like an arrow shot from a bow. Suddenly above the whistling of the -wind past his ears and the low hum of his straining engine, Tom heard -an authoritative hail and discovered a rope stretched across the road -some distance ahead, and two constables on guard. Looking backward he -dimly made out, through the dust, a motor cyclist following them, and -realizing he was in a trap, he brought his car to second speed. - -“Stop your engine,” commanded the constable, catching up with him. - -Tom thought quickly. Had he been alone, he would have tried to get -away, but Janet’s presence prevented any attempt at evading the law. - -“What’s the trouble, constable?” he demanded. - -The man laughed. “Speeding and joy-riding are the charges.” - -“Oh, come. I wasn’t breaking the regulations....” - -“Tell that to the J. P.” At that moment the second constable reached -them, and sprang on the running-board on Janet’s side of the car. -“Start her up again, and come into Hyattsville,” directed the motor -cyclist, and making the best of a bad job, Tom sulkily obeyed the -order. Janet, her eyes wide with excitement, sat quietly by his side. -Pretending to tuck the laprobe more securely about her, he whispered in -her ear: - -“If they ask who you are, don’t give your real name.” - -“I understand,” she muttered, and remained passive until the car, -passing the lowered rope, reached its destination, escorted by the two -constables. They bade Tom and Janet accompany them into the presence of -the Justice of the Peace. Mr. Lenox, the gray-haired justice, heard the -evidence against them in ominous silence. - -“What is your name, miss?” he inquired sternly. - -“Marjorie Langdon,” answered Janet readily, and Tom gave her an -approving glance. - -“Your residence?” Janet told him, and the Justice turned to Tom. - -“Name?” he snapped. - -“Thomas Langdon Nichols, Captain --th Field Artillery, stationed at -Fort Myer, Va.” - -“Any relation of Miss Langdon?” - -“Her cousin,” steadily. - -The Justice laid down his pen. “Fifty dollars,” he announced, holding -out his hand. - -“Fifty dollars fine!” fumed Tom. “That’s perfectly ridiculous.” - -“Nothing of the sort,” retorted the Justice. “I recognize you, young -man; this is the third time you’ve been arrested speeding on the State -Road....” - -“I haven’t; you’re mixing me up with someone else....” - -“That game won’t work,” the Justice shrugged his shoulders -contemptuously. “Your name’s entered on the records; you’ve been warned -and fined for small sums, already. This joy-riding has got to stop.” - -“I don’t joy-ride,” thundered Tom, catching Janet’s amused smile. “I -admit I’ve made good time on several business trips to Baltimore....” - -“Very thoughtful of you,” commented the Justice ironically. “Fifty -dollars, please.” - -“Dash it all! I haven’t that amount with me,” pulling out his wallet -he counted the bank notes in it. “Here’s eighteen dollars,” he laid -the money on the desk, and searched his pockets carefully, finally -producing some small change. “This makes twenty-one fifty,” stacking -the silver in a neat pile on top of the bank notes. “You’ll have to -take that, and let me bring back the rest tomorrow.” - -“Fifty dollars or jail!” and the Justice sat back and regarded the -raging officer with provoking calmness. - -“Will you take a check for the balance?” demanded Tom, as soon as he -could control his speech. - -“Depends on your bank.” - -Without replying, Tom went slowly through his pockets, but he had left -his check-book on his desk at his quarters, and his search was a waste -of time. “Let me have a blank check on the American Security and Trust -Company?” he pleaded. - -“Haven’t one,” answered the Justice curtly, and forestalled further -requests by adding, “Haven’t a check on any bank but a Baltimore trust -company; guess you can’t draw on that, young man.” - -Tom bit his lip savagely. “Can I use that telephone?” he asked, nodding -toward the instrument. - -“Sure, if you’ll pay the tolls.” - -Tom seized the desk instrument and put in a call for Fort Myer, but it -was some minutes before he got his connection, only to learn that the -officers he wished to speak to were absent from their quarters. With a -smothered oath he hung up the receiver and scowled at the Justice. - -“Will you permit this young lady,” placing his hand on Janet’s arm, “to -return to Washington?” - -“No.” - -“Don’t be so damned pig-headed!” stormed Tom. “I’ll stay here until I -can get hold of the necessary money. Miss Langdon’s presence is not -required.” - -“I’m the best judge of that; and see here, mind how you address me; I -won’t stand being sworn at.” - -Tom moved closer to Janet, and lowered his voice. “I’m afraid it will -be some time before I can get money here from Fort Myer,” he whispered. -“Hadn’t I better call up your brother?” - -“Mercy, no; please don’t think of it!” protested Janet, her eyes -opening in fright. “Duncan is so stern, he would never approve or -understand my motoring alone with you. We must get back without letting -him know anything about all this”--waving her hand toward the Justice -who, “clothed in a little brief authority,” was thoroughly enjoying -the situation. His predecessor had been severely criticized for his -lax handling of the speeders who frequented the state road between -Baltimore and Washington, and he was determined to establish a record -for distributing impartial justice on one and all. The fact that one of -the breakers of the speed law before him was an officer of the United -States Army and the other a very pretty young girl did not in the least -influence him to be lenient. - -One of the constables had remained in the room, and had been an -interested listener to all that transpired. Janet’s distressed -expression finally won him over to her side. - -“Say, Captain,” he began, “Ain’t you got a watch you can put up, and -redeem later?” - -Tom shook his head despondently as his fingers sought his watch pocket -“It’s at Galt’s getting repaired,” he replied. - -Janet’s hopes, which had risen at the friendly constable’s suggestion, -sank like lead; then an idea occurred to her, and she stepped up to the -desk. - -“Won’t you accept this as collateral?” she asked, slipping a gold -bracelet over her wrist and handing it to the Justice. “Captain Nichols -will bring you the twenty-eight dollars and fifty cents tomorrow, and -get it back.” - -Without answering, the Justice stooped and attentively examined the -handsome bauble in his hand. The bracelet, of curious design, was -studded with diamonds and emeralds, and the Justice, who had some -knowledge of precious stones, was impressed by its value. He turned the -matter carefully over in his mind before announcing his decision, and -the minutes seemed endless to Janet and Tom, who were burning to get -away. - -“I’ll keep it,” the Justice stated finally, laying the bracelet -carefully on the table and sweeping Tom’s money into his cash box; then -he laid the bracelet in the box, and snapped the lid shut. He paused -to make an entry in his ledger, then turned back to Tom. “Let this be -a lesson to you,” he said severely. “You’re an officer of Uncle Sam’s, -and you of all people ought to help preserve the Government’s laws. -This state road is not a race course. Good evening.” - -“I’ll be back tomorrow,” called Tom from the doorway, and he and Janet -lost little time in getting under way once again. The short afternoon -had come to a close, and Janet’s alarm grew as they motored slowly out -into the darkness. - -“What shall I say to the family?” she murmured. - -“Let me tell them the truth,” advised Tom. “It was all my fault, I’ll -take the blame.” - -“Father will probably forbid my seeing you any more,” answered Janet, -dolefully. - -“Good Lord!” ejaculated Tom blankly; he felt as if the earth had -dropped from him. “But I must see you, I--I--can’t get on without -seeing you----” - -“Can’t you?” a little hope crept into her voice. “I--I--should miss you -awfully....” - -“Would you?” Tom’s strong voice was husky. “I feel like a brute to have -gotten you into this scrape; I must get you out of it----” - -“Please do,” she pleaded, and stirred Tom’s brain to quicker action. - -“Suppose we go straight to Madame Yvonett’s, spend a few minutes there; -then if Marjorie hasn’t waited for you, we’ll go right to your house, -and explain that we went down the streets Marjorie didn’t return -on--and so missed her.” - -“That sounds a trifle involved,” Janet knitted her brows in anxious -thought. “However, I think it will do, and no one need ever know.” - -“I’ll never tell,” promised Tom soothingly. “By Jove! it was clever of -you to give Marjorie’s name to the J. P.; I’ll get back your bracelet -tomorrow and no one will be the wiser.” - -“You are such a comfort,” sighed Janet; impulsively Tom laid his right -hand tenderly on hers. “I--I--always enjoy myself when with you.” - - * * * * * - -An hour after Tom and Janet’s departure another “speeder” was brought -before Mr. Lenox, Justice of the Peace for Hyattsville. But the tall, -well-groomed, middle-aged man who faced him, unlike Tom wasted no time -in disputing the fine imposed. - -“Can you change a twenty dollar bill?” he inquired, drawing out a -well-filled wallet. “This is the first time I’ve motored down from -Baltimore, and I’m sorry my chauffeur broke the speed laws. Hope of a -Christmas dinner at home is my excuse.” - -“Can’t blame you much,” acknowledged the Justice, his sternness thawed -by the other’s geniality. “Let’s see if I have change,” opening his -cash box, and dumping its contents on the desk. The stranger picked up -Janet’s bracelet as it rolled toward him, and glanced idly at it; then -his attention was arrested by the unusual design, and he examined it -minutely, even to the tiny initials and date engraved on the inside. -“Here’s your change, sir,” added the Justice. - -“Thanks,” the stranger pocketed the money without counting it. “Pretty -bracelet you have here,” handing it back to Lenox as he spoke. “Very -unusual in appearance; would you mind telling me where you got it?” - -“No, why should I? A girl, riding with her beau, left it here in lieu -of a fine for speeding. She, or rather her escort, Captain Nichols, -will redeem it tomorrow.” - -“I see,” the stranger stared in deep astonishment at the Justice. “If -it isn’t breaking a confidence, can you give me the young woman’s name?” - -“Sure,” the Justice rapidly ran his finger down the open ledger. “Miss -Marjorie Langdon, 910 Thirteenth Street, Washington.” - -“Miss Marjorie Langdon,” repeated the stranger; then roused himself. -“Much obliged, sir, good evening.” And he hastily left the room and -entered his limousine. “Home, François,” he directed; then as the -lights of Hyattsville disappeared in the distance, he confided his -reflections to the flower-filled glass vase. “What in the devil’s name -was Miss Marjorie Langdon doing with my daughter’s bracelet in her -possession?” - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -DUNCAN’S DILEMMA - - -PAULINE CALHOUN-COOPER laid down her embroidery with a resigned sigh as -her brother, after striding moodily up and down the drawing-room, made -a sudden dash for the door. - -“Where are you going, Joe?” she called. - -“Out----” and the front door banged shut behind him. - -Pauline’s lips curved in an irritating smile. “Your ‘poy Joe’ gets more -impossible every day, mother. I think father had better be told----” - -“No you don’t, young lady,” Mrs. Calhoun-Cooper spoke with unwonted -authority. “I won’t permit any further interference.” - -“Oh, well, take the consequences then,” replied her daughter, -undutifully. “Chichester Barnard warned me Joe spends most of his -time with that trained nurse, Kathryn Allen; he said he couldn’t tell -_me_ what kind of a character she is”--Pauline raised her eyebrows -suggestively. - -Her mother reddened angrily. “I’ll thank Mr. Barnard to mind his own -business,” she snapped. “Joe is too much of a gentleman to drop Miss -Allen’s acquaintance after her kindness to him. He tells me their -friendship is entirely platonic.” - -“Is that all?” Pauline’s sarcastic drawl was enough to exasperate a far -better tempered woman than Mrs. Calhoun-Cooper. “Don’t blame me, mother -dear, if you get an undesirable daughter-in-law.” - -Her mother’s retort was checked by the entrance of Janet and Marjorie, -and she rose somewhat flurriedly to greet them. - -“So good of you to call,” she cooed. “Pauline, dear, you know Miss -Langdon. Come and sit by me, Miss Janet, and tell me of all your gay -doings. Joe will be so sorry to have missed you.” - -“We caught a vanishing glimpse of him as we drove up to the door,” -Janet loosened her furs, for the room was uncomfortably warm. “Are you -going to the Charity Ball on Monday evening?” - -“Yes, we have taken a box. Can’t you come with us?” added Mrs. -Calhoun-Cooper hospitably. - -“Thanks very much, but I believe father has secured a box also,” Janet -smiled prettily upon her hostess while her hand played nervously with -the silver ornaments on the tea-table. “I think it’s awfully kind of -you and your daughter to be so sweet to me, a newcomer.” - -Marjorie, sitting some distance from Mrs. Calhoun-Cooper and Janet, -watched them anxiously, and ignored Pauline’s decidedly cool manner -and curt speech. They talked on uninteresting topics for some time, -and Marjorie was on the point of rising to leave when she heard Janet -accept Mrs. Calhoun-Cooper’s offer of a cup of tea. She had neglected -to warn Janet before entering that they must make their visit a short -one, as their calling list that afternoon was exceedingly long. -There was nothing for it but to wait until Janet had swallowed her -exceedingly hot cup of tea, which the butler had just brought in, and -concealing her impatience, she surrendered herself to the inevitable. - -“So sorry you had to leave the Walbridge dance,” said Pauline, as -conversation languished. “Miss Fordyce tells me you are subject -to--eh--headaches, isn’t it?” - -“Headaches of the very worst kind,” acknowledged Marjorie. Her eyes -roved about the room, which she had known so well when her aunt had -owned the house; even some of the furniture, many pieces of which had -been sold with the house, were still in use in the drawing-room, and -she had much ado to keep back a rush of tears at the recollections -their presence gave her. - -“I am told headaches are the bane of existence as one advances in -years,” said Pauline sweetly. “Why, father!” as a tall man entered the -room. “What brings you home at this hour?” - -“A moment’s leisure,” he replied. “How do you do, Miss Fordyce,” -shaking hands cordially with Janet, and turning toward Marjorie. There -was a moment’s awkward pause, then Pauline remembered her manners. - -“Miss Langdon, father.” - -Representative J. Calhoun-Cooper stepped forward and held out his hand -as Marjorie rose and advanced to meet him, “Miss Marjorie Langdon?” he -inquired, and she wondered faintly at the concentration of his gaze. - -“Yes,” she answered, and her large hazel-gray eyes smiled back at him -with friendly interest. How came so distinguished looking a man to have -such an impossible family? - -“If I am not mistaken, you are related to Madame Yvonett, are you not?” -he asked, and again his keen scrutiny swept over her. - -“She is my great-aunt.” - -“I gathered that was the relationship; please give her my kind -remembrances and say that I hope to call soon.” Calhoun-Cooper turned -back to his wife. “Miss Langdon is a great-granddaughter of Hugh -Pemberton, who gave my father his start in life,” he explained. “You -must show every hospitality to Miss Langdon, mother.” - -Mrs. Calhoun-Cooper, divided between vexation at being called “mother” -in public by her usually thoughtful husband, and bewilderment at -Marjorie’s suddenly increased importance, clutched the tea-tray in -despair. - -“Of course, John, of course,” she stammered. “Dear Miss Langdon, will -you have a cup of tea? Where is them tongs?” - -Janet, catching sight of Pauline’s furious expression, almost laughed -aloud. She covered her mouth with her large muff, the better to conceal -her amusement. Truly, Mrs. Calhoun-Cooper’s parts of speech were -flying to the four winds. - -“You are very kind,” said Marjorie gently. “But I have had to give up -drinking tea and coffee, Miss Cooper,” addressing Pauline directly. -“Mrs. Fordyce wishes to know if you and your brother will dine with her -informally on Tuesday next?” - -“I don’t recall any engagement for that night,” Pauline slightly -mollified, answered with more than her usual warmth; a more intimate -footing with the Fordyce family counted for much in her social -ambitions. “Please tell Mrs. Fordyce that Joe and I will be happy to -come.” - -“That is very nice,” smiled Marjorie. “Mrs. Fordyce has sent you a -formal invitation which you will receive this evening, but she asked me -to speak of the matter as the time is short. Come, Janet, I am afraid -we must go. Good-bye, so glad we found you.” - -Calhoun-Cooper accompanied the two girls to their limousine. “Don’t -forget my message to your aunt, Miss Langdon,” he said, as he closed -the door of the machine. - -“Where next?” inquired Janet, as Marjorie consulted her list. - -“I think we had better leave cards at the White House,” she said, and -Janet, picking up the speaking tube, gave the order, and the big car -started down Sixteenth Street. - -“Have you seen Captain Nichols lately, Marjorie?” asked Janet, breaking -the brief pause. - -“No, he hasn’t been near me.” Marjorie studied Janet’s flushed face -with keen attention. Could it be possible that the young débutante was -falling in love with Tom? Had she lost interest in Chichester Barnard? -With all her heart Marjorie hoped such was the case. Janet was too -charming a girl to be taken in by the wiles of a fortune hunter. To -Marjorie’s relief, she had seen nothing of Chichester Barnard since -meeting him at her aunt’s on Christmas Day, nor had he called recently -at the Fordyces. It was not like him to be easily discouraged, he was -of the persevering kind, and Marjorie marveled at his absence. Were -Janet and he meeting clandestinely? The thought sent a cold shiver down -her back. Abruptly she turned to Janet. - -“Were you walking with Chichester Barnard yesterday?” she inquired. - -“No,” replied Janet shortly, and again lapsed into silence. - -Janet’s thoughts at the moment were centered on Tom Nichols, as they -had been all too frequently of late, considering she regarded herself -secretly engaged to Chichester Barnard. Though absent, the latter’s -daily notes, received surreptitiously, were a constant reminder of -her pledge to him. Barnard’s charm of manner and conversation always -left her breathless, carried away by the fervor of his pleading, but -she turned restive under the exotic, extravagant phrases which cloaked -his passionate intentness on paper. She longed for Tom’s breezy -wholesomeness and merry smile. - -On their return from Bladensburg she and Tom had faithfully carried out -their prearranged program, and no question had been raised, so far as -Janet knew, as to where she had spent the early afternoon on Christmas. -But what was giving Janet more concern than she had known in many -years was the fact that she had neither seen nor heard from Tom since -that afternoon, and that she had never received back the diamond and -emerald bracelet which she had left with the Justice of the Peace at -Hyattsville. And Tom had promised to get it for her the very next day! - -“Did mother invite Captain Nichols to our dinner next week?” she asked. - -“She put his name on the list, but I didn’t get the invitation written -before we came out; however, I’ll call him up tonight, and ask him -verbally and send him a reminder card later.” - -“There’s Duncan!” exclaimed Janet, catching a glimpse of her brother -as the car turned the corner into H Street. “I hope he won’t forget to -order the violets he promised me.” - -Spying them at the same moment Duncan raised his hat, and laughingly -declining Janet’s frantic gesture to join them, he continued on his way -to the Metropolitan Club. But at Seventeenth Street Tom Nichols drew -his roadster up in front of the curb, and leaned forward to speak to -him. - -“Jump in and come over to the Army and Navy Club with me,” he said, and -Duncan, time hanging heavy on his hands, accepted the invitation with -alacrity. “I intended calling up your house, Fordyce, to ask if your -sister is home.” - -“She’s out calling; I just saw her and Miss Langdon in the limousine.” - -“Do you think she can see me this evening?” Tom swung his car into I -Street. - -“I’m afraid not, we are all dining at the British Embassy. Will you be -there?” - -“Not invited,” replied Tom shortly. He parked the roadster near the -entrance to the club, and led Duncan into one of the smoking-rooms. -Duncan found him singularly morose, and regarded the usually jovial -young officer in some perplexity; then he concluded that Janet and Tom -must have had a squabble of some sort and that the latter was trying to -make up the quarrel. - -Tom, in fact, was exceedingly disturbed. He had just returned from -Hyattsville, where he had redeemed Janet’s bracelet. His duties at Fort -Myer had prevented his going there during the past two days, and he had -not dared to ask a brother officer to go in his place, fearing news -of the arrest for speeding might leak out, with other details. He had -hoped to find Janet at home that afternoon and return the bracelet. He -had tried several times to talk to her on the telephone, but each time -the Fordyce servants had told him Janet was either out or engaged. He -would have confided the whole affair to Marjorie except for his promise -to Janet. - -“Can you go to the Charity Ball with us?” asked Duncan. - -“Why yes, I’d like to very much,” answered Tom, awaking to the fact -that he had not spoken for some moments. - -“Good, don’t trouble to get a ticket, and I think you had better dine -with us first----” - -“Excuse me, Captain, but you are wanted on the telephone,” interrupted -a club attendant. - -“I’ll be right back, Fordyce,” Tom sprang precipitously to his feet; -perhaps Janet had called him up. “Wait for me,” and he disappeared -after the attendant. - -An older man sitting by a window some distance away glanced up at -hearing the name “Fordyce,” and scanned Duncan intently, then rose and -slowly approached him. - -“I beg your pardon, but are you not Duncan Fordyce?” he asked. - -Duncan looked at him attentively for a second, then stepped forward. - -“How do you do, Admiral Lawrence,” he said, extending his hand. - -The Admiral’s haggard face lighted with a pleased smile. “So you -remember me, Duncan; it’s some years since we met,” a sigh accompanied -the words. “How is your dear mother?” - -“Very well, thank you. Won’t you sit down, sir?” pulling forward a -chair. - -“Please thank your mother for her kind note of sympathy; I intended -answering it----” the Admiral broke off abruptly and cleared his -throat. “Tell me of yourself, Duncan, since we last met.” - -“There’s nothing very much to recount, Admiral; I graduated from Yale, -then from the Harvard Law School; traveled a bit in China and South -America, and on my return joined a law firm in San Francisco. I am East -on a short visit.” - -“Sorry to have been so long,” said Tom, appearing behind the Admiral, -whom he already knew. “Much obliged to you, sir, for taking care of -Fordyce in my absence.” - -“Duncan and I are old friends,” Admiral Lawrence stepped back. “I won’t -interrupt you two any longer.” - -“Don’t run away, Admiral,” protested Tom, “it’s I who must be leaving. -Hope you’ll forgive me, Fordyce, but they’ve telephoned me to return -to Myer at once. Please tell Miss Janet I’ll be in tomorrow.” He -hesitated; should he give the bracelet to Duncan? No. Janet had -particularly charged him not to let any inkling of her motor ride reach -her brother’s ears, and Duncan would naturally ask him how he came to -have his sister’s bracelet in his possession. “Ask her if she will -telephone me what hour will be most convenient for her to see me,” he -added hurriedly. - -“I will,” promised Duncan, turning back to say good-bye to Admiral -Lawrence. - -“Can you spare me a few minutes now, Duncan?” the latter asked -anxiously. - -“Certainly, sir; my time is at your disposal.” - -Admiral Lawrence surveyed the room in silence; then led the way to the -farther end, where two chairs stood by themselves. - -“Sit down, Duncan,” he said, dragging his seat nearer the window. -“We’re out of ear-shot over here, and I’ve something important to -say to you,” he stopped, and Duncan waited respectfully for him to -continue. “I called up your house yesterday, and your butler told me -your father was out of town.” - -“He went over to Philadelphia on business; we are expecting him back -tomorrow or next day.” - -“I may not be in town when he returns; therefore I must speak to you,” -the Admiral paused, “about a very delicate matter....” - -“Yes,” put in Duncan encouragingly, as his companion again paused. - -“Marjorie Langdon is in your mother’s employ, is she not?” - -“Yes.” But Duncan’s slight start was not observed by the Admiral, who -continued his questions. - -“As companion to your sister?” - -“Yes,” replied Duncan for the third time. - -The Admiral turned in his chair and made sure that no one was in their -vicinity, then leaned toward Duncan. “Marjorie Langdon was my secretary -for the past two years; on November first, I discharged her because I -found she was a thief.” - -For a second Duncan was blind to his surroundings. But Admiral Lawrence -read nothing of his mental suffering in his expressionless face. -Marjorie then was really a thief! Marjorie, his ideal in womanhood! -His strong hands clenched themselves so tightly over the arms of his -chair that the knuckles shone white. He had succeeded in conquering -the suspicions he had harbored against Marjorie after the mysterious -disappearance of his father’s forty dollars. Marjorie, if guilty of -the theft of the money, would never have mentioned the exact sum, one -hundred and fifty dollars, when she handed him the bank notes to give -his father. She _must_ have been innocent, he had reasoned, with dogged -determination. Now another man thought her a thief! - -“I would not have disclosed her true character had I not heard that -Marjorie was with your sister continually,” said the Admiral slowly. -“It is not proper that a young girl should be subjected to such -contaminating influences.” - -“One moment,” Duncan held up his hand protestingly. “You have made -a serious charge, Admiral, against Miss Langdon; can you prove your -statements?” - -The Admiral whitened with anger. “I am not in the habit of lying,” he -retorted stiffly. - -“Nor am I accusing you of lying,” calmly. “But in my father’s absence -you have come to me, as the acting head of my house, to warn me against -one of my father’s employees. I am within my rights, sir, in demanding -your proofs that Miss Langdon is a ----” Duncan choked over the word -thief--“is not a proper associate for my sister.” - -“Perhaps you are right,” admitted the Admiral, his anger cooling. -“I presume you have met my wife’s nephew by marriage, Chichester -Barnard----” - -“I have.” - -“My wife, who has always been wealthy in her own right, promised her -first husband, Dimintry Barnard, that she would leave one hundred -thousand dollars to his nephew, Chichester, whom he had legally -adopted, and in making her will some years ago, she carried out her -promise. Just before her last illness, she quarreled with Chichester -over some unfortunate investments he had made for her, and incensed by -his manner, declared she would revoke her bequest to him. - -“On the last day of October my wife, then a very sick woman, sent for -our lawyer, Charles Alvord, and bade him draw up a codicil revoking -Chichester’s bequest. Alvord took his notes into my library, and -without my knowledge, had Marjorie Langdon typewrite the codicil,” -Duncan drew a long slow breath but said nothing, and the Admiral -continued: “He also had her make a carbon copy of the codicil, thinking -if the first was ruined in my wife’s effort to sign it, he would have -the other at hand to substitute. But my wife signed the original copy, -and I instructed Marjorie to put it in my safe. The next morning, on -opening my safe, I found the unsigned copy of the codicil, and not the -signed one.” - -“And you believe----?” questioned Duncan. - -“That Marjorie Langdon deliberately destroyed the signed codicil and -placed the unsigned one in my safe, hoping the substitution would not -be noticed until after my wife’s death.” - -“The last is supposition only,” commented Duncan. - -“Not so fast,” retorted Admiral Lawrence. “Marjorie was the only one -outside our family and the lawyer who knew of the signing of the -codicil; it was given to her to place in the safe. She only, beside -myself, knew the combination of the safe, and Alvord, the fool, left -the unsigned copy of the codicil lying loose on my desk, ready to her -hand.” - -“And Marjorie Langdon’s motive in destroying the signed codicil?” - -“Her infatuation for Chichester Barnard.” The blunt answer shook even -Duncan’s iron self-control, and he looked hastily away, lest the -Admiral read his expression. “Marjorie was the last person to leave my -library that night; I was the first to go there the next morning, and -the codicil was gone.” - -“In other words,” said Duncan slowly, “you contend that Marjorie had -the motive and the opportunity to steal that codicil,” Lawrence nodded -affirmatively. “What did she hope to accomplish?” - -“To have Chichester Barnard inherit the hundred thousand dollars,” the -Admiral rose heavily to his feet. “The other codicil remained unsigned, -for my wife never regained her faculties before her death, having been -first delirious and then unconscious until death mercifully released -her.” - -“So Mr. Barnard will inherit the one hundred thousand dollars?” - -The Admiral paused. “Not without a legal fight. Get rid of Marjorie, -Duncan, before the scandal is aired.” - -“You mean you are going to charge Miss Langdon with the theft of the -codicil?” - -“I do. She thwarted my wife in her last conscious act, and by God, she -shall pay for it!” - -Duncan rose to his feet. “Kindly notify me, Admiral, of whatever -steps you propose taking,” he said, accompanying the older man to the -entrance of the club-house. - -“Certainly, Duncan, certainly.” The Admiral walked to the curb with -him. “I realize you will want to know in time to prevent your family -from becoming involved in the scandal.” - -“You mistake my meaning, sir; I desire to know what legal steps you -contemplate taking, because I propose to defend Miss Langdon in the -courts. Good evening,” and lifting his hat, Duncan turned on his heel. - -How far he walked or where he walked he could never afterwards tell, -but he finally became conscious that the park policeman in Lafayette -Square was regarding him with open suspicion. - -“Where am I?” he asked, turning in bewilderment to the stalwart -guardian of the peace. - -“Sure, I don’t wonder ye ask; ye’ve chased yourself around Jackson’s -statue until ye’ve given me the blind staggers. What ails ye, sir?” - -“Nothing,” Duncan pulled himself together and finally got his bearings. -“Where can I find a taxi?” - -“At the Shoreham, that way,” waving his arm, and Duncan walked in the -direction indicated. - -He was about to cross H Street and enter the hotel when Small’s window -display across Fifteenth Street caught his attention, and he remembered -promising to send Janet a bunch of violets to wear to the British -Embassy. Entering the florist’s shop, he hastily gave his directions; -then paused, and selected a beautiful corsage bouquet of single violets. - -“I’ll take this also,” he said. “Send it to Miss Marjorie Langdon, care -of Mr. Calderon Fordyce, same address as the other; and--eh--give me a -blank card,” discovering he had none of his visiting cards with him. -Taking the blank card which the attentive clerk brought him, he wrote: -“With best wishes,” and signed his initials. Before placing the card in -an envelope, he studied the message and his bold, distinctive writing -in some doubt. - -“Lord!” he muttered. “Will she take the ‘D. F.’ for Duncan -Fordyce--or--damn fool.” - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -THE PHILANDERER - - -“SO it’s off with the old love?” - -“My dear Kathryn, it was never on,” Barnard looked squarely at the -pretty nurse facing him, a faint trace of distress visible in his -polished manner. “When I called to see my aunt, Mrs. Lawrence, I always -showed you the civility and attention which I accord to any woman; that -you chose to attach a deeper meaning----” he shrugged his shoulders. “I -very deeply regret the--misunderstanding.” - -Kathryn Allen’s gaze shifted from his face to the desk, and she saw the -ornaments dimly through blinding tears. - -“You repudiate----?” she asked huskily. - -“Everything you claim--yes.” - -“Then your presents, your photograph....” - -“Meant nothing,” with smiling effrontery, “except _pour passer le -temps_.” - -In the stillness the click, click of a typewriter in the adjoining -office was distinctly audible. Barnard, with an impatient frown at the -wall dock, turned back to the silent woman. He abhorred a scene, and -Representative J. Calhoun-Cooper had an engagement with him shortly; -it would never do for him to find Kathryn Allen in that office. The -pause lengthened, then the woman rose shakily to her feet, and meeting -Barnard’s look of solicitude, a bitter laugh broke from her. - -“You have shown me a new side,” she said, controlling herself with -difficulty. “You are not usually neglectful of your own interests, -Chichester; hadn’t you better cultivate your memory?” and before he -could answer, she slipped from the room and was gone. - -Reaching the sidewalk Kathryn walked aimlessly up F Street until her -wandering attention was caught by a tall clock in front of a jeweler’s -shop, whose hands registered three o’clock, and she paused instantly. - -“Mercy,” she muttered. “I’ve forgotten Joe!” and turning about she made -her way to Harvey’s restaurant. Joe Calhoun-Cooper, lurking in the -doorway, watched her approach with eagerness. - -“At last!” he exclaimed. “I thought you had forgotten to come.” - -“Not a bit of it,” following him to the ladies’ dining-room. “Mrs. -Wallace was not so well, and I was detained. Nurses can’t be choosers, -you know.” - -“Why don’t you give up this drudgery?” asked Joe heatedly. “Marry me, -my darling----” sinking his voice. - -“Marry you?” repeated Kathryn drearily, then her face brightened into a -quick warm smile. “Well, why not?” - -“Do you mean it?” Joe was on his feet, his eyes alight. - -“Sit down, you foolish boy,” and Joe, a trifle abashed by the waiter’s -stare, sank down into his seat. - -“What will you have, Kathryn?” he inquired, taking up the menu card. - -“Some hot roasted oysters and plenty of pepperine sauce; no, no wine,” -as he turned to the wine list. “You know I don’t approve of that, Joe.” - -“Just a cocktail,” he pleaded. “It’s bitter cold outside.” But Kathryn -shook her head. - -“Don’t tempt me, Joe;” she settled back in her seat and looked about -the restaurant. At that hour the room was empty and she heaved a sigh -of relief; she was not anxious to encounter any friend who might chance -to come in. She shivered slightly, half overcome by a tormenting -memory. “I will take some coffee,” she added hastily. - -Joe finished giving his order, and then turned his attention fully -on his companion. She looked extremely pretty and young in her -conventional tailored-suit and stylish hat under which her red hair -curled tantalizingly. Her good looks and engaging manner had captivated -Joe when she attended him at Garfield Hospital the year before, he -having preceded his family to Washington, and developed typhoid fever -soon after his arrival. - -“Why did you telephone that you had to see me, Joe?” asked Kathryn, -breaking the silence. - -“It’s nearly a week since our last walk together,” he answered -moodily. “I began to think you were avoiding me.” - -“Nonsense; I told you I’ve been extra busy....” - -“But a nurse always has her regular hours off,” he broke in. - -“During which I’ve been making up lost sleep,” she retorted. “Joe, -dear, don’t quarrel with me----” her eyes filled with tears. “I can’t -bear it.” - -“My dearest,” he patted the slender hand resting on the table with -tender fingers. “I’ll eat dirt, sooner than make you unhappy.” - -“Try the oysters, instead,” she advised, with a half hysterical laugh, -as the waiter placed the tempting dishes before them. The presence of -the waiter, who stood behind Joe’s chair shucking the roasted oysters -in rapid succession, prevented further private conversation, to Joe’s -great annoyance. He wanted Kathryn to himself, and her half-bantering, -half-tender manner but added fuel to the flame of his passion. - -“Let’s get out of here,” he suggested, rising and pushing back his -chair. While playing with her hot coffee and oysters, of which she was -usually inordinately fond, Kathryn had done some rapid thinking, and -having decided on her course of action, she was quite willing to leave, -and in a few minutes more they were strolling up Pennsylvania Avenue. - -“What time do you have to return?” inquired Joe, stopping before the -Raleigh. - -“Not until six o’clock.” - -“Good!” Joe beckoned to one of the hackmen standing in front of the -hotel, and as the brougham drew up before them, he wrenched open the -door and before Kathryn had quite decided, she was half pushed into the -vehicle. “Go to the Mall,” shouted Joe, springing in after her. - -“Well, upon my word!” she ejaculated, considerably startled. -“Joe--Joe--what’s come over you?” - -Joe did not answer the question directly, but the passion in his eyes -brought a hot wave of color to her cheeks; the carriage was rapidly -traversing an unfrequented street, and he was not to be denied. His -arms crept around her, and despite her vehement protests, he rained -kisses upon her lips until the fire consuming him communicated itself -to her, and she gave back kiss for kiss with an ardor which matched his -own. - -“Joe, you must behave!” she stammered, withdrawing as far from him as -the narrow confines of the carriage permitted. “Suppose we are seen? -What would your family say?” - -“They will have to know some time,” he protested. “Beside, we are not -likely to meet any of our friends in this part of the town.” - -“I am not so sure of that,” she glanced uneasily out of the window. “We -must be getting back, Joe; tell the driver to go up side streets until -he reaches Seventeenth and S Streets.” - -“Will you marry me?” demanded Joe, ignoring her request. “Will you, my -darling?” - -“I’ll give you my answer----” - -“Yes?” eagerly, as she paused. - -“When we reach Seventeenth and S Streets,” and her alluring smile set -his pulses racing. Opening the door he gave his directions to the -driver, then settled back beside her. - -“Why do you want to tantalize me?” he asked reproachfully. - -“It’s good for you,” shrugging her shoulders. “You are spoiled -at home. By the way, do you propose telling your family of our -engagement--providing I accept you?” archly. - -“In my own good time,” sulkily. “If they know too soon....” - -“They’ll send you away from my baleful influence.” A mocking smile -lighted her eyes and lips. Joe winced, the remark was too near the -truth to be pleasant. - -“It’s no thanks to your friend, Mrs. Hemmingway, that father doesn’t -know now,” he grumbled. - -“What do you mean?” in startled surprise. - -“I found a letter from her in father’s mail last Monday,” he pulled out -a much soiled envelope. “Your letters used to come under cover of her -address, so I recognized her writing, and guessing something devilish -was up, hooked it before father came home.” - -“I see,” said Kathryn slowly. “And what did my amiable landlady say in -her letter to your father?” - -“I don’t know,” handing her the unopened envelope. “I waited to give it -to you to read; I would have told you of it sooner, but you would not -see me.” - -“Could not see you,” she corrected gently; then without further words -opened and read the letter. A sharp intake of her breath attracted -Joe’s attention, and he turned from the window in time to see her -tearing the letter into infinitesimal pieces, her face white with fury. - -“The cat!” she exclaimed. “The vile, treacherous cat! And after I’ve -been so good to her. Thank heaven you caught the letter, Joe; it was -clever of you, my dearest.” - -“Luck was with me,” admitted Joe frankly, pleased, however, at the -implied compliment. “I never trusted Mrs. Hemmingway; you remember I -warned you against her.” - -“Yes, yes, so you did. Oh, Joe, the things she said about you in this -letter!” opening the carriage door and tossing out the scraps of paper. -“They make my blood boil.” - -“My blessed darling,” as she snuggled up against his shoulder, “if I -only had enough money, I’d carry you off tonight.” - -“Remember I haven’t yet given you my answer,” teasingly. - -“I’d marry you without it,” sturdily. “Lord! if I only had the luck of -some people--Chichester Barnard, for instance.” - -Kathryn’s body stiffened and every drop of blood deserted her face. -“What about Chichester Barnard?” she asked in barely more than a -whisper. - -“Didn’t you read in this morning’s paper that Mrs. Lawrence’s will -had been offered for probate, and that she bequeathed him a hundred -thousand dollars?” - -“I had no chance to look at the papers,” she answered dully. Immersed -in his own prospective happiness he failed to observe the anguish which -dimmed her eyes. Suddenly she roused herself. “So Mr. Barnard is a -wealthy man; well, merit usually wins in the end.” The covert sneer was -lost on her companion. - -“Barnard’s a good chap,” he said tolerantly. “He deserves his luck.” - -“I presume now he will marry Marjorie Langdon.” - -“Marry Marjorie Langdon?” Joe’s hearty burst of laughter covered the -quiver in Kathryn’s voice. “Lord bless you, he’s trying for higher -game.” - -“Who do you mean?” the question shot from her. - -“Janet Fordyce; and do you know,” lowering his voice confidentially, -“Christmas Eve I got rather fuddled and was such a fool as to warn -Barnard not to marry into that family.” - -“Were you thanked for your pains?” and the sneer in her downcast eyes -was not pleasant. - -“Hardly; in fact, Barnard threatened to wring my neck if I ever alluded -to the Fordyce peculiarities in public.” - -“Tell me some other time,” she coaxed. “I think, however, that Mr. -Barnard is to be congratulated if he marries any woman but Marjorie -Langdon.” - -“I rather like Marjorie.” - -“Do you?” she laughed mirthlessly. “Well, I hate her.” There was no -mistaking her envenomed tone, and Joe’s sleepy eyes opened to twice -their usual size. - -“Why?” in profound astonishment. - -“Because of the humiliation I have suffered at her hands; she never -lost an opportunity ‘to put me in my place’ when we were both at the -Lawrences’, she as secretary and I as nurse.” - -“You surprise me; but come to think of it, Pauline holds about the same -view of Miss Langdon that you do; thinks she’s too supercilious for a -paid companion.” - -“Is that so? Then your sister and I agree already.” - -“A happy omen for the future,” exclaimed Joe, then his face darkened. -“If Marjorie Langdon has been nasty to you, my darling, I’ll cut her -acquaintance.” - -The look she gave him was ample reward. “Ah, Joe,” she said, a trifle -sadly, “I fear your loyalty will be taxed to the breaking point if you -marry a poor, nameless nobody like me.” - -“Never!” he vowed with lover-like ardor. “And, dearest, within a few -years, by the terms of my grandfather’s will, I shall inherit eight -thousand a year.” - -“What!” Her surprise was genuine; Joe had never before spoken of his -prospective inheritance. - -“I didn’t know about it myself until Christmas,” went on Joe. “We can -be married tomorrow if you say so; I’ll get mother to advance me some -money, and father will come across when he once meets you.” - -“And your sister?” - -“Oh, Pauline can go hang. Who cares for her opinion?” contemptuously. - -“I do, for one,” calmly meeting his perplexed stare. “I most earnestly -desire her friendship.” - -“You don’t know Pauline,” dryly, remembering his treatment at his -sister’s hands. “I don’t think she will add to our joy of living.” - -“Perhaps not, but she may be useful to me,” quietly. “Oh, Joe, you -don’t know what it means to a bride to sever her husband from his -family. Please God, you’ll never have that to reproach me with.” - -“I was only thinking of you, dearest,” put in Joe, much touched. -“Between you and me, Pauline is an awful tartar.” At that moment their -carriage turned the corner into S Street and drew up at the curb. - -“Your answer, dearest?” Joe’s assurance had departed, and the hand he -laid on Kathryn shook. “Will you marry me?” - -“Yes,” he had to bend down to catch the whispered word. - -“Soon?” he urged, his voice triumphant with joy. - -“Yes,” and the kindly darkness hid the kiss with which they sealed -their betrothal. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING - - -KATHRYN ALLEN tore open the note with impatient fingers. - - MY DARLING, [she read], - - Pauline tells me Janet Fordyce and Chichester Barnard frequently take - tea at the Brown Tea Pot. I don’t know why you asked me to find out, - but, sweetheart, your word is law to your devoted - - JOE. - - P. S. How the hours drag! I only live when with you. - -Joe might have spared himself the postscript. Kathryn did not even -trouble to read it. Crumpling the note into a small ball she tossed -it into the scrap basket and rising, consulted her alarm clock. The -hands on the dial pointed to a quarter past three; she could go over -to the hospital and register and still have ample time to enjoy a cup -of tea at the Brown Tea Pot. Her valise was already packed preparatory -to leaving her present case whenever her employer, a hypochondriac, -decided she could dispense with her services. She had gone to her -immediately after the death of Mrs. Lawrence, but the place did not -suit. She did not care to nurse crotchety patients. - -It was a little before five o’clock when she entered the Brown Tea -Pot, and she found the cozy tea-room partly empty. To her delight she -secured a table to herself near a large screen standing by the pantry -door, and from that vantage point she commanded a fine view of the -occupants of the room without herself being conspicuous. She had plenty -of time to study her surroundings and admire the effect of the softly -shaded electric lights which cast a becoming, rosy glow over the scene, -before the two people for whom she was waiting, made their appearance. - -It was the first glimpse Kathryn had had of Janet, and she watched her -with jealous, angry eyes. She took in the becoming, chic street costume -Janet was wearing, with grudging admiration. Chichester Barnard always -had excellent taste in women. Kathryn had overheard Admiral Lawrence -tell his wife that their clergyman, at his request, reproved Barnard -for his fast life, and had asked him what he would do if confronted at -the Judgment Seat by the women he had flirted with. - -“I shouldn’t be ashamed of one of them,” Barnard had retorted. - -Janet, barely glancing about her, selected a table across the room from -where Kathryn Allen sat, and while out of ear-shot, the pretty nurse -could observe them without appearing to do so. By the time Barnard -had finished giving his order to their waitress, the people sitting -nearest them had completed their tea and departed. Janet bit her lip -with vexation; she had chosen that particular table because it had -near neighbors, and above all things she wished to avoid anything like -a private _tête-à-tête_ with Barnard. Usually the Brown Tea Pot was -crowded, and conversation had to be of the most trivial and impersonal -character on account of the danger of being overheard. She had accepted -Barnard’s invitation to have tea with him against her better judgment. - -Barnard made no secret of his satisfaction at their isolated position. -He never troubled to turn and glance about the room, and Kathryn -Allen’s presence went unnoticed. - -“Are you sure you would rather have hot chocolate than tea, Janet?” he -inquired, with gentle solicitude. - -“Quite sure. Mother says too much tea drinking is responsible for my -nervous irritability.” - -“Your mother is too harsh a critic,” he commented. “I detect no -irritability on your part, only----” he paused thoughtfully. - -“Yes?” she prompted, looking away from him. - -“An adorable reserve,” ardently. “Why do you not let me see more of -you?” - -“I have already explained the reason, Chichester.” - -“Your social duties?” He shrugged his shoulders disdainfully. “Bah! why -consider such empty trifles.” - -“They are not trifles, but a treadmill,” she retorted warmly. “But, -Chichester, I don’t believe mother and Marjorie would approve of my -meeting you so often alone, and I hate to do anything underhand.” - -“You are the soul of honor.” His look caressed her, and she shivered -involuntarily. “Then why not let me call every day at your house?” - -“Duncan doesn’t like you,” she admitted faintly. “And he has prejudiced -mother----” in her desire to avoid Barnard’s glance, she missed seeing -the tawney gleam which for a second marred the beauty of his heavily -lashed dark eyes. - -“I can guess the reason for your brother’s dislike,” he admitted -grimly. “Perhaps I can remove the cause. His interest in Miss Langdon -appears mutual. Hadn’t you better warn your mother to watch those two?” - -“What do you mean?” She raised startled eyes to his. - -“How would you like Miss Langdon as a sister-in-law?” - -Janet sat in dumfounded silence. Even the arrival of their waitress -with the chocolate pot, whipped cream, and hot toasted English muffins -did not arouse her. Had Barnard supplied her with the key to Duncan’s -altered demeanor and Marjorie’s shy, distraite manner? Would her mother -accept Marjorie as a daughter-in-law without opposition? Duncan was her -idol, and Janet knew she had always planned a most ambitious future for -him. - -“Then the idea doesn’t appeal to you?” questioned Barnard as the -waitress retired. “Well, don’t worry; Marjorie has other suitors.” - -“I am given to understand that you are one of them.” - -“By some kind friend, I suppose?” But Barnard’s laugh was not as -sincere and hearty as he tried to make it. “Did Pauline Calhoun-Cooper -also mention that Tom Nichols is one of Marjorie’s suitors?” The spoon -Janet held rattled against the side of her cup. “Ah, I thought not,” -added Barnard, smiling quietly to himself. “Did the gallant captain -never confide to you his admiration for his beautiful cousin?” - -But Janet was game, notwithstanding her secret anguish. Barnard had -indeed opened her eyes, but not in the way he had intended. Quickly she -rallied her wits to her aid; she must not let her keen-eyed companion -realize the new influence which was dominating her. Ah, love was -two-edged; too late, she had divined the gold from the dross. - -“Captain Nichols has made no secret of his affection for Marjorie,” she -retorted coolly. “Why do you seek to prejudice me against him?” - -“Because I do not approve of your friendship.” - -“Nonsense; it’s purely platonic.” - -“There is no such thing between a man and a maid.” Barnard’s tone -stirred Janet’s hot anger, but she controlled herself admirably. “You -show your youth by advocating such views.” - -“Do you mean to be insulting?” - -“Put such an idea instantly out of your mind.” There was stern command -in his eyes and voice, and Janet shrank back, frightened by the storm -she had provoked. “I should never think of insulting you, I love -you too deeply,” his tones vibrated with feeling. “I respect you too -highly--but I am jealous, bitterly jealous. I, and I alone, must rule -your heart and mind. ‘Thou shalt have no other god but me’!” - -“Don’t blaspheme!” She cringed back in her chair, and covered her ears -with her shaking fingers. “Chichester, Chichester, I have given you no -cause for jealousy.” - -“Perhaps not intentionally,” he admitted, more quietly. “But for my -comfort, you see too much of Tom Nichols.” - -“You are entirely mistaken. I haven’t seen him for some time.” - -“How about your motor ride with him on Christmas Day?” She colored in -spite of herself. - -“How did you hear of it?” she demanded. - -“News travels fast when a man boasts....” - -“I don’t believe it,” she broke in vehemently. “Tom Nichols isn’t that -sort. He would keep his word to me to say nothing about it.” - -“Ah, then your intimacy has reached the stage of mutual secrets!” -Barnard’s brow darkened. “Now, once for all this _platonic -friendship_,” with biting sarcasm, “must stop. As your fiancé, I forbid -you to have anything further to do with him.” - -“And suppose I refuse?” Janet drew her furs about her, and flung back -her head defiantly. Her blood was up. - -“You will do nothing so foolish.” - -“I shall, too.” Janet’s eyes blazed back into his. “And I want you to -understand that our engagement is broken.” - -Barnard’s smile was his only answer as he contemplated her, and despite -the warmth of the room and her furs, Janet felt a chill strike to her -heart, and the pupils of her eyes distended with fear as Barnard bent -toward her across the table. - -“Pauline Calhoun-Cooper has missed her bracelet,” he said quietly. - -Janet crimsoned; then turned deathly pale. Fearing she would faint, -Barnard raised his tea-spoon and struck his empty goblet until the -glass vibrated loudly. While waiting for the waitress, he again -addressed his silent companion. - -“Do you still wish our engagement broken?” - -“No,” faintly. - -“You will drop Tom Nichols?” Getting no answer, he repeated his -question with more insistence. - -“Yes,” she promised; but the monosyllable was even fainter and more -reluctant than the first. - -“Good!” Barnard smiled sunnily upon her; his anger and jealousy a thing -of the past. “I know you will keep faith with me, my darling,” then he -added in a different tone, as their waitress appeared. “Will you please -bring us some more ice water.” - -“I--I--must go,” Janet clutched her bag and gloves in desperate haste. -She felt that she should scream if she remained in the room a moment -longer. She was shivering from head to foot. - -“No, no, it’s still early,” remonstrated Barnard. “You haven’t -finished your muffin.” But Janet shook her head. - -“I must go,” she reiterated; and Barnard, a past-master in knowing when -to concede a point, rose to his feet. As they made their way to the -door, they passed Judge and Mrs. Walbridge, and the latter stopped them. - -“I never saw two people so interested in each other,” she declared -breezily; then added with elephantine playfulness, “Of course, Mr. -Barnard was only telling you, Miss Fordyce, about his law cases.” - -“Of course,” answered Barnard, the twinkle in his eyes belying his -serious expression. “I was just mentioning to Miss Fordyce that crime -knows no sex.” - -Five minutes later Kathryn Allen, back in her far corner of the room, -paid for her tea and scones and went hurriedly out of the shop. She had -never taken her eyes from the two people she had gone there to watch, -and bitterly she regretted that she was not a lip-reader. One thought -was uppermost in her mind. What hold had Chichester Barnard over Janet -Fordyce? - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -A TUG OF WAR - - -REPRESENTATIVE J. CALHOUN-COOPER laid down his pen and regarded his -wife in some surprise. “Are you going to church, Augusta?” - -“No, I attended the morning services.” She ensconced herself in a chair -near him. “Pauline told me that you wish to see me.” - -“Quite right; but I had no idea you were going out,” Calhoun-Cooper -hesitated. “However, I will not keep you long. Can you tell me who are -Joe’s associates in Washington?” - -His wife stirred uneasily. “Do you mean men or girls?” - -“Both.” - -“Pauline’s friends and mine are his associates,” with an abruptness -equal to his own. - -“Are you quite sure, Augusta?” She changed color under the peculiar -emphasis of his voice. - -“Quite; Joe has been most exemplary in his behavior,” she saw a further -question trembling on his lips and forestalled it. “You are never fair -to Joe; you take everyone’s word against his. Joe has the making of a -splendid man if you didn’t hector him so continuously. Give the boy a -chance.” - -“I have spent years doing it,” Calhoun-Cooper sighed. “Unfortunately -Augusta, what you term a ‘chance’ and I term an ‘opportunity’ are not -synonymous.” - -“Your ‘opportunity’ spells work, I presume,” and his wife frowned. “You -never recollect Joe’s delicate lungs.” - -“Delicate fiddlesticks!” interrupted her exasperated husband. “Too much -smoking....” - -“There you go again,” the ready tears filled Mrs. Calhoun-Cooper’s -eyes. “Believing tales because you want to....” - -“Nothing of the sort.” - -“Then you must be fairer in your treatment of Joe,” protested his wife. -“Joe takes after my family, and instead of inheriting your robust -health, has our constitutional delicacy.” - -Calhoun-Cooper glanced with some grimness mixed with amusement, at -his wife’s large frame and substantial weight. “Too bad the tendency -in your family, when it skipped your generation, didn’t crop out in -Pauline,” he commented slowly. “I would like a detailed answer to my -question, Augusta. Who are Joe’s particular associates?” - -“Let me see; Duncan Fordyce and his sister, the Warren girls, Jimmie -Painter, and Carroll Logan”--she paused reflectively. - -“Ever hear of a Miss Kathryn Allen?” asked her husband. - -“Kathryn Allen? Wasn’t she Joe’s nurse at Garfield....” - -“So I have heard,” dryly. “I am told the friendship between them -has--increased.” - -“Is Pauline your informant?” demanded his wife, but he pretended not to -hear, and she continued hurriedly, “Whatever you hear in that quarter -is exaggerated nonsense. Far from spending his time with women, Joe is -usually with Chichester Barnard and his other men friends.” - -“I haven’t seen Captain Nichols here lately,” Calhoun-Cooper tore a -fragment of a letter into long pieces and tossed them into the scrap -basket. “Do you know why he has stopped coming to see us?” - -“I haven’t the faintest idea,” answered his wife candidly. “Unless -Pauline has--has not encouraged his attentions.” - -“I did not know----” he broke off abruptly. “Tell me, Augusta, have you -been supplying Joe with money lately?” - -“I? Oh, dear no,” but her eyes fell before his, and his face grew -graver. “What made you think such a thing?” - -“It has happened before,” dryly. “I shall be exceedingly displeased -if you are giving Joe money. I cut down his allowance with very good -reason.” - -“I believe you actually begrudge Joe money,” she put in passionately. -“For shame, as wealthy as you are----” - -“It is not a matter of wealth, but of principle,” sternly. “Under -the plea of his supposed constitutional lung weakness you have -over-indulged Joe. It’s greatly my fault,” as his wife’s sobs -increased. “I gave too much time to my business and trusted to -incompetent tutors. Joe has two more years to toe the mark, and in -that time his character must be formed, otherwise he will go to the -bad utterly. I hope you have never disobeyed my injunction against -informing him of his prospective inheritance by the terms of my -father’s will?” - -“Do you take me for a fool?” she asked sharply, and changed the -subject. “I must say, John, your father was very remiss not to leave -a like amount to Pauline, she bitterly resents Joe’s getting all that -money.” - -“So you have told Pauline?” Her husband’s eyes kindled in wrath. “Well, -upon my word! Will you never learn discretion?” - -Mrs. Calhoun-Cooper promptly took refuge behind more tears, a bulwark -which usually never failed her; but her husband was too indignant to -pay heed to her emotion, and continued sternly: “I trust you informed -Pauline that I would amply provide for her?” renewed sobbing was his -only reply. “I have told you before, Augusta, that I do not approve -of the partiality you show Joe; it is most unfair to Pauline, and -causes constant dissension and unhappiness. It must stop.” - -“I’m sure I grant Pauline’s every wish,” exclaimed his wife, much -aggrieved. “She has her own way, and plenty of clothes, jewels----” - -“Speaking of jewels,” broke in Calhoun-Cooper. “What has become of the -emerald and diamond bracelet, which formerly belonged to my mother, -the one I gave Pauline on her coming out? I haven’t seen her wear it -lately?” - -His wife gulped back a sob, and wiped her eyes with a damp -handkerchief. She also had missed the bracelet, and she had last seen -it in Joe’s hand, Pauline having carelessly left it on her mother’s -dressing table the night of their large dinner dance. Joe had admitted -its beauty just before he went downstairs to assist his sister in -welcoming their guests. - -“I--I--it’s at Galt’s being mended,” she stuttered; giving her husband -the same excuse for its disappearance which she had made to Pauline. “I -discovered some of the stones were loose.” - -Calhoun-Cooper contemplated her rapidly crimsoning face with misgiving. -“Did you take the bracelet to Galt’s?” - -“Of course. I’ll stop in and get it tomorrow,” she rose precipitously. -“How time flies! It’s after three; I have barely time to get to the -informal musicale Mrs. Fordyce is giving at four o’clock.” - -“Do you and Pauline see much of Marjorie Langdon?” - -“Not more than we can help,” snapped his wife, her temper getting the -upper hand. “Neither Pauline nor I trust her----” - -“Trust her? Exactly what do you mean by that term?” - -Startled by the curtness of his tone, Mrs. Calhoun-Cooper stopped on -her way to the door. “We feel that Marjorie Langdon is jealous of -Pauline’s friendship with Janet Fordyce, and is prejudicing her against -us. I’ll tell you more about our suspicion later, John; I must hurry -now. Oh, dear, I don’t believe I’m presentable!” getting a glimpse of -her tear-stained face in the mirror, and turning she hastened from the -room. - -Calhoun-Cooper remained for some time at his desk; then, after -consulting the telephone book, he rose, and giving a few directions -to the butler, left the house and made his way to Madame Yvonett’s -residence. - -Earlier in the afternoon Tom Nichols had left Fort Myer intending to -call on Janet. Since his interview with Duncan two days before, he had -received no message from Janet. In very desperation he had placed the -bracelet in a box containing a bunch of violets and left it with the -Fordyce butler the previous afternoon. Perkins had solemnly promised -to give the box to Janet on her return, and with a lighter heart, Tom -had returned to Fort Myer, fully expecting that Janet would call him -up on the telephone. But she never did so. While deeply wounded by her -silence, his longing to see her had finally conquered, and he motored -to Washington that Sunday afternoon intent on demanding an explanation. - -On approaching the Fordyce residence he noticed a number of motors and -carriages driving up to the door, and thinking some entertainment was -going on, he promptly turned his car about and made for his cousin’s -house in Thirteenth Street. Madame Yvonett would probably be able to -give him news of Janet. On his arrival, to his great disgust, he found -the Quakeress with a room full of callers, and it was fully an hour -before they departed and he had her to himself. - -“Draw up thy chair, Thomas,” directed Madame Yvonett. “Where has thee -been keeping thyself since Christmas?” - -“Mostly at Myer. I’ve called you up on the telephone, Cousin Yvonett, -several times to ask how you were.” - -“So Rebekah has told me, and I appreciate the trouble thee has taken. -Will thee let me refill thy cup?” - -“No more, thank you,” setting down his empty teacup. “How is Marjorie?” - -“Very busy just now; thee sees the season is in full swing, and she has -little opportunity to come in, but I talk with her every day on the -telephone.” - -“Have you seen Janet Fordyce recently,” with elaborate carelessness, -helping himself to a pretzel. - -“She was here but yesterday, and inquired particularly----” Madame -Yvonett stopped speaking as Minerva pulled back the hall portière and -Representative J. Calhoun-Cooper walked into the room. - -“I fear you do not recall me, Madame Yvonett,” he said, as the -Quakeress rose. “I am John Cooper, and I had the pleasure of calling -upon you and your husband with my father years ago in Paris.” - -“Thee does my memory an injustice, Friend Cooper,” exclaimed Madame -Yvonett cordially. “I have a very agreeable recollection of thy father -and thyself. But I admit thee has changed somewhat in appearance since -those days. Does thee know my cousin, Thomas Nichols?” - -“Oh, yes, the Captain and I are old acquaintances,” shaking hands with -Tom as he spoke. “What has become of you lately? My wife and Pauline -tell me you have not been near them.” - -“My duties at Myer have increased recently; courts-martial, and all -that,” answered Tom, slightly embarrassed by the direct question. -He had heard nothing further of his lost coin, and more than -ever convinced that Joe had stolen it, he had kept away from the -Calhoun-Coopers, disliking to accept their hospitality under the -circumstances. “I hope your wife and daughter are both well,” he added -hastily. - -“Very well, thanks.” Calhoun-Cooper sat down near Madame Yvonett, and -declining the cup of tea offered him, began speaking of Paris, and the -Quakeress, enchanted at the allusion to the city and life she had loved -so well, recounted amusing experiences of her sojourn in the French -capital. - -Tom took but little part in the conversation, and fidgeted uneasily. -He was determined to find out from Madame Yvonett all that she could -tell him about Janet, and waited with increasing impatience for -Calhoun-Cooper to take his departure. But he found out-sitting the -Representative a harder tax on his nervous system than he had bargained -for. - -“Thee brings back happy memories,” said Madame Yvonett, with a -half-sigh. “Must thee go?” as Calhoun-Cooper stood up, “I have enjoyed -thy visit, friend; and if thee has an idle hour thee must come again.” - -“I will,” promised Calhoun-Cooper, shaking hands warmly; then turning -to the expectant Tom, he asked; “Walk uptown with me, Nichols, I am -anxious to have a word with you.” - -Tom’s face fell, and he was about to explain that he was obliged to -return almost immediately to Fort Myer when Madame Yvonett answered for -him. - -“Go with Friend Cooper, Thomas,” she said, “and return and have supper -with me.” - -“Thanks, Cousin Yvonett, I will. I only hesitated, sir,” addressing -Calhoun-Cooper, “because I am not walking; but I’ll be very happy to -take you home in my car.” - -It was the Representative’s turn to hesitate. “Suppose you leave me at -the club instead,” he said finally. “Good night, Madame Yvonett.” - -“Good night, friend,” the Quakeress accompanied the two men to her -front door. “Do not forget thee must come again soon.” - -“I certainly will,” and raising his hat, Calhoun-Cooper stepped into -the motor. He watched Madame Yvonett until she closed the door. -“A gentlewoman of the old school, Nichols,” he commented softly. -“Cultured, brilliant, kindly----” - -“She is that and then some,” exclaimed Tom enthusiastically. “Cousin -Yvonett is a brick.” - -Calhoun-Cooper smiled. “Hardly the expression I should have selected, -but perhaps it covers my meaning.” He said no more until the car drew -up before his club. “Come in with me, Nichols, I am anxious to have an -uninterrupted talk with you. I will detain you but a few minutes.” - -Barely waiting for Tom’s assent, he strode into the club and led the -way to a small unoccupied room and carefully closed the door. Tom -took the chair pushed toward him, and waited with some uneasiness for -his companion to explain why he wished to see him. He wondered if -Calhoun-Cooper had heard of some of Joe’s Washington escapades, and if -he was to be catechised on the subject. - -“Miss Marjorie Langdon is your cousin, is she not?” asked -Calhoun-Cooper, breaking the silence. - -“Yes; my second cousin, to be exact.” - -“Can you tell me where she procured the emerald and diamond bracelet -which she pledged with the Justice of the Peace at Hyattsville...?” - -“Can I what?” exclaimed Tom, in profound astonishment. - -Calhoun-Cooper repeated the question. - -“May I ask what earthly business it is of yours?” demanded Tom. - -“The bracelet happens to belong to my daughter, Pauline,” was the calm -reply. - -Hardly able to believe his ears, Tom sat back in his chair and glared -at Calhoun-Cooper. - -“I was motoring down from Baltimore Christmas afternoon, and was -arrested for speeding just after your release,” continued the -Representative, receiving no response from his dumfounded companion. -“While paying my fine I saw and recognized Pauline’s bracelet lying -on the desk before the Justice of the Peace. He informed me it had -been left there by Miss Marjorie Langdon.” Tom’s convulsive start was -not lost on Calhoun-Cooper. “Will you kindly tell me how your cousin -obtained possession of my daughter’s bracelet?” - -Tom stared stupidly at his questioner. “You’re cra--crazy,” he -stuttered. “My cou--cousin left her--left her own bracelet with the -Justice.” - -“She did no such thing,” shortly. “I examined the bracelet carefully; -it belonged to my mother before I gave it to my daughter, and her -initials, my father’s, and the date of the wedding are engraved on the -inside of the bracelet. There was no possibility of my being mistaken. -Did you redeem the bracelet?” - -“Yes.” - -“Let me see it?” holding out his hand. - -“I can’t; I’ve returned it....” - -“In that case,” slowly, “suppose we ask Miss Langdon for it.” - -Tom squirmed in his seat. Ask Marjorie? Then indeed the fat would be in -the fire, and his promise to Janet to keep her presence at Hyattsville -a profound secret would be broken. Marjorie would undoubtedly declare -she had not been with him at Hyattsville. - -“You must be mistaken about the bracelet, sir,” he protested -vehemently. “Call up and ask your daughter if she hasn’t her own.” - -“I asked her this morning, and she informed me it was not in her -possession.” - -Tom turned white. What the devil was the man driving at? It _must_ be -Janet’s bracelet; she would have been wearing none but her own that -afternoon. A wealthy girl did not deck herself out in other people’s -jewelry. - -“I intended seeing you before this, Nichols,” continued Calhoun-Cooper, -after an appreciable pause. “But I have been exceedingly busy for the -past four days, and have had no opportunity to take up the matter of -the bracelet until today. I not only prize the piece of jewelry for its -association and money value, but I am determined to find out _how_ that -bracelet got out of my daughter’s possession.” - -“What did your bracelet look like?” - -Quickly Calhoun-Cooper told him, and Tom’s heart sank; it was an -accurate description of the one Janet had pledged with the Justice and -he had later redeemed. - -“Do you recognize it?” demanded the Representative, and Tom nodded a -reluctant assent. - -“They sound the same,” he acknowledged cautiously. “But stranger -coincidences have been known. Perhaps your daughter was also motoring -on the Bladensburg Pike that afternoon.” - -“Don’t be a fool!” retorted Calhoun-Cooper roughly. “That bracelet was -stolen....” - -“D--mn you!” Tom sprang for the other’s throat. - -“Take your hands off me!” thundered Calhoun-Cooper, struggling to free -himself. - -“I’ll make you eat those words first,” and Tom’s grasp tightened. - -“I didn’t say your cousin stole the bracelet,” panted the other. “Have -a little sense.” - -Slowly Tom released him, and the Representative straightened his -rumpled collar and tie. - -“Suppose you explain exactly what you are driving at,” said Tom, -resuming his seat. - -Calhoun-Cooper did not reply at once. “I went to Madame Yvonett’s -intending to question her....” - -“Good Lord!” broke in Tom. - -“But on seeing that dear old Quakeress I couldn’t do it,” admitted -Calhoun-Cooper. “I’m a great believer in caste, Nichols; no niece of -Madame Yvonett’s will go wrong. Ask Marjorie Langdon to tell you the -truth about that bracelet, and I will believe every word she says.” - -“Thanks,” mumbled Tom, at a loss for a longer answer. - -“I will let you speak to Miss Langdon; she’ll probably confide the -whole matter to you,” added Calhoun-Cooper, rising, and Tom followed -his example. “But remember, if I don’t get that bracelet back in two -days with an adequate explanation, I’ll go to Miss Langdon myself, and -if necessary--to the police.” - -“That threat is not necessary,” exclaimed Tom, his anger rising. “And -speaking of making criminal investigations, sir; hadn’t you better -watch a member of your own family?” - -Calhoun-Cooper recoiled, and before he could recover from the emotion -that mastered him, Tom was out of the club and into his roadster. As -the car shot away into the darkness, Tom laid his head wearily on the -steering wheel. - -“In God’s name,” he mumbled, “how can I question the girl I adore as to -how a piece of jewelry came into her possession?” - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -OUT OF THE FRYING-PAN - - -MRS. FORDYCE awoke from her nap to discover Janet earnestly regarding -her from the depths of a big tufted arm-chair. - -“Bless me, Cutie!” she ejaculated. “Have I been asleep?” - -“You certainly have,” admitted Janet laughing. It was not often her -mother called her by the familiar, schoolgirl nickname. “And snoring, -too.” - -“Janet!” - -“Well, just a little snore,” hastily, noting her mother’s offended -expression. “I wouldn’t have disturbed you, mumsie, dear, if I hadn’t -thought Marjorie was here with you. I am sorry my entrance awoke you.” - -“I have no business to be sleeping at this hour.” Mrs. Fordyce shook -herself more fully awake and glanced at the clock. “Are you not -lunching with the Thayers today?” - -“Not going there until Saturday,” shortly. “Thank goodness I’m having a -little rest today.” - -“Are you tired, dear?” - -“Somewhat,” reluctantly. - -“Then perhaps you had better give up going to the dance tonight----?” - -“Miss the Charity Ball? Well, I guess not. Why, mumsie, they say that’s -the greatest fun ever.” - -“I was only thinking of your health; you and Marjorie have both gone -out rather strenuously this past week, and Marjorie is showing the -strain also.” - -“Then let her stay at home,” calmly. “I’m quite capable of taking care -of myself; and, mumsie, people are laughing at me for being tied to -Marjorie’s apron-strings.” - -“What people?” - -“Oh, some of the girls,” vaguely. “When you come down to it, mumsie, it -is rather annoying to have to ask advice and instruction from a girl -only a few years older than I.” - -Mrs. Fordyce looked troubled. “Has Marjorie been officious in any way?” - -“N--no,” reflectively. “But going to Marjorie for advice and seeing -her presiding in your place isn’t agreeable to me. I miss you, mumsie, -dear.” - -“My baby girl!” Mrs. Fordyce crossed the room and gave her daughter a -loving kiss and hug. “And I miss you; but, dearest, it is impossible -for me to take part in the gay world, and I made this arrangement with -Marjorie as the best way to further your interests and pleasure. Duncan -tells me she is extremely popular and....” - -“Oh, Duncan!” Janet shrugged her shoulders disdainfully. “Duncan will -tell you anything to keep Marjorie here--he’s crazy about her.” - -“What!” Mrs. Fordyce dropped back in her chair and gazed with -astonished eyes at Janet. - -“Haven’t you noticed his infatuation?” - -“Noticed it? Of course I haven’t,” with some sternness. “What -meddlesome Mattie has been hinting such a thing?” - -“My two eyes,” tartly. “Hadn’t you better be using yours, mumsie?” - -“That will do; I will not permit impertinence.” - -“Well, if you will leave me under Marjorie’s influence....” - -“I have yet to see one act or word on Marjorie Langdon’s part which you -might not copy with impunity,” declared Mrs. Fordyce with decision. -“And I have been thrown with her even more than you. No, it is someone -else who is responsible for your sudden--flippancy,” hesitating for a -word. A knock sounded on the boudoir door, and she called out: “Come -in. Well, Perkins, what it is?” as the butler appeared in the doorway. - -“Miss Calhoun-Cooper wishes to see Miss Janet a moment,” he replied. - -“Sit still, Janet,” directed Mrs. Fordyce, as her daughter made a -motion to rise. “Ask Miss Calhoun-Cooper to come up here, Perkins.” - -“I thought you didn’t like Pauline?” said Janet in surprise, as the -butler retreated down the hall to the elevator. - -“You have just convinced me that I am leaving you too much with others, -Janet,” dryly. “Hereafter I shall take pains to see more of your -friends. Good morning,” as Pauline entered the room. “You are very -good to come upstairs.” - -“The idea of putting it that way, dear Mrs. Fordyce.” Pauline shook -hands effusively with her, and kissed Janet warmly. “Please don’t let -me disturb you; I only stopped to ask if Janet would care to go with me -to see Kellar, the magician, on Friday afternoon.” - -“Of course I will,” exclaimed Janet, heartily. “Thanks so much; I dote -on Kellar.” - -“Then you have seen him before?” - -“Yes, a number of years ago. He’s sure to have some new tricks by this -time; I had no idea he was coming to Washington.” - -“Kellar is only giving this one matinée performance. Do you think your -brother would care to go?” - -“I’m sure he would; I’ll ask him,” rising hurriedly. - -“Duncan is out just now,” put in Mrs. Fordyce. “He telephoned he would -lunch at the club.” - -“I’ll let you know as soon as he comes in,” promised Janet, dropping -down on the sofa beside Pauline. - -“You are very good to invite my girl and boy,” said Mrs. Fordyce. “I -thank you for giving them so much pleasure.” - -“The pleasure is mine,” insisted Pauline, lending undue emphasis to the -hackneyed phrase. “I regret I was only able to get four seats together, -Janet, and therefore cannot ask Miss Langdon to accompany us. Captain -Nichols has already promised to make the fourth in our small party.” - -“We have not seen much of Captain Nichols lately,” commented Mrs. -Fordyce. - -“Nor we,” answered Pauline. “I met him just as I was leaving the -theater this morning, and asked him then and there, to my relief, for -it is almost impossible to get him on the telephone. He tells me his -quarters are not connected with the post ’phone, and he has to go to -the officers’ club to get and send messages.” - -“What keeps him so busy?” Janet examined Pauline’s jewel-studded gold -mesh bag with open admiration. - -“When I taxed him with not calling, he said his official duties had -kept him tied to Fort Myer. That excuse covers his not visiting -us”--with an affected laugh, “but of course, there’s another reason for -his not calling here....” - -“And pray, what is that?” demanded Mrs. Fordyce, eyeing her daughter’s -flushed countenance intently. - -“A lover’s quarrel with--Marjorie Langdon.” Pauline pronounced the name -with much impressiveness. If she heard Janet’s sudden, sharply drawn -breath, she gave no sign. - -“Captain Nichols and Marjorie!” exclaimed Mrs. Fordyce in bewilderment. -“You surprise me. I never knew he was attentive to _her_.” - -“I suppose his relationship covers his attentions to the casual -observer,” went on Pauline thoughtfully. “How nearly related are they?” - -“I believe he is Marjorie’s second cousin,” answered Janet in a voice -she strove to make indifferent. - -“So there’s no bar to their marriage; except I believe, Miss Langdon -does not fancy love in a cottage.” - -“You do Marjorie an injustice,” announced Mrs. Fordyce quietly. “If her -affections were really engaged, I don’t think she would hesitate to -make any sacrifice.” - -“I hope your good opinion of her is justified.” Pauline flushed at the -rebuke, which Mrs. Fordyce’s manner more than her words, conveyed. -“Miss Langdon has gained a reputation for mercenary selfishness.” - -“Poverty is apt to teach one the value of money,” replied Mrs. Fordyce. -“Still, that is different from being staring and stark mad; and I for -one shall give Marjorie the benefit of the doubt. Every cent of money -she has, she lavishes on her aunt, Madame Yvonett; that does not look -to me like ‘mercenary selfishness.’” - -“Miss Langdon is fortunate to have you for a friend,” Pauline rose. -“And I am afraid she needs them, poor girl; people are not always -prepossessed in her favor.” Her voice expressed deep commiseration, -and Mrs. Fordyce felt inclined to box her ears. Accustomed to being -accorded every deference by her family, and protected by her seclusion -from contact with the free and easy manner of the younger generation -to their elders, she deeply resented Pauline’s flouting address -and flippant style. Pauline, busy adjusting her furs, missed the -disapproving look cast in her direction, and turning to Janet, asked: -“Will I see you at the ball tonight?” - -“Yes, we expect to go.” Some of the enthusiasm of the morning had gone -from the fresh young voice, and again Mrs. Fordyce covertly studied her -daughter. What had come over Janet? - -“Your box is next ours,” continued Pauline, lingering near the sofa. -“Mrs. Walbridge is on our other side. Mother always insists on finding -out who our neighbors will be before purchasing tickets for charitable -entertainments.” - -“As a health precaution?” inquired Mrs. Fordyce. “Or is it a question -of social prestige?” - -“Both,” acknowledged Pauline quickly. “So many things are catching -these days, we don’t like to come in contact with--dirt.” And her -meaning smile deepened as she saw Mrs. Fordyce flinch; she had scored -at last. “We all have our idiosyncrasies, dear Mrs. Fordyce; good-bye. -Don’t trouble to come downstairs with me, Janet, I can find my way out -alone.” - -“Of course I’m coming with you.” Janet followed her friend out of the -room, leaving her mother sitting in her chair in a brown study. She was -aroused almost immediately by Janet’s re-entrance. - -“What an odious creature!” she shivered. “Upon my word, Janet, what’s -the world coming to? Are there no ladies any more?” - -“Now don’t be old-fashioned,” Janet threw herself down pettishly on -the sofa. “Can you give me some money, mumsie?” - -“What has become of your father’s Christmas check?” - -“Spent,” laconically. “I can’t help it, mumsie; money just evaporates -in this old town. I just want to buy a--a--new bracelet,” glancing down -deprecatingly at her bare wrist. - -“You have a careless hand, Janet,” said her mother reprovingly. -“However, I cannot have you want for anything. Will a check for fifty -dollars do?” - -“Oh, yes; thank you, darling,” beaming gratefully upon her mother. “But -instead of a check, could you give me----” she stopped as some one -rapped on the door. In response to Mrs. Fordyce’s bidding, Marjorie -stepped into the room. - -“Am I late?” she asked, laying a bundle of papers on the table beside -Mrs. Fordyce. - -“Twenty-five minutes ahead of luncheon,” answered Janet shortly. - -“What have you here, Marjorie?” Mrs. Fordyce put her hand on the papers. - -“Receipted bills,” Marjorie drew up her chair and sorted the papers -carefully. - -“The butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker,” quoted Mrs. -Fordyce, busily inspecting Marjorie. She saw her through new eyes, the -eyes of a mother judging a possible daughter-in-law. Suddenly, she -pressed her fingers against her eyes; the lids were wet with tears. - -“If I were you, I would stop dealing with Jackson,” announced Marjorie, -finding the particular bill she was searching for. “He calmly sent -in an unitemized account, calling for seventy-five dollars, and when -I insisted on going over his books, we found he had overcharged you -eighteen dollars. I gave him the check Mr. Fordyce had made out for the -larger sum on condition that he refund me the eighteen dollars. Here it -is,” tumbling the money out on the table. - -“You won’t be popular with the cook, Marjorie, if you have interfered -with her rake-off,” snapped Janet. “What’s a few dollars to father?” - -“Janet!” Mrs. Fordyce spoke in a tone that Marjorie had never heard -before, and her daughter on but one other occasion. “You forget -yourself strangely this morning; apologize at once to Marjorie for your -unnecessary remark.” - -“I meant no offense to Marjorie,” protested Janet. “I merely intended -to say it was silly of her to interfere after things have been bought -and paid for.” - -“Your explanation strikes me as being worse than the offense,” Mrs. -Fordyce was thoroughly aroused, and not heeding Marjorie’s attempt to -restore peace, added, “I am grateful to Marjorie for saving me from -a swindler; apparently you think because the amount is small that I -should submit to being robbed. Let me tell you, Janet, that no one is -so rich that he can stand being fleeced, and any woman who knowingly -permits graft in her kitchen is worse than a fool. Never let me hear -you again advocate condoning knavery.” - -Janet bowed before the storm. “I won’t, mother,” meekly. “Indeed, -Marjorie, I did not mean to insult you in any way.” - -“I am sure you didn’t,” answered Marjorie, more puzzled than hurt by -Janet’s peculiar manner; they had been from their first meeting sworn -allies and good comrades. “Please think no more about it, dear.” - -“What dirty money!” Mrs. Fordyce withdrew her hand from the table -hastily. “Do take it away.” - -“With pleasure,” laughed Janet, recovering somewhat her usually sunny -disposition, and she was about to gather up the soiled bank notes when -her mother stopped her. - -“No, you must not touch them,” she declared, and Marjorie opened her -eyes at her vehemence. “I will have Calderon send them to the Treasury -to be redeemed.” - -“Beg pardon, ma’am,” said Perkins from behind the half-open door. -“Captain Nichols is at the telephone and wishes to speak to----” - -“Me, Perkins?” and Janet sprang to her feet. - -“No, Miss Janet, he asked for Miss Langdon.” - -“Won’t you take the message for me, Janet?” inquired Marjorie, laying a -paper-weight over the receipted bills. - -“No, certainly not,” and Janet disappeared from the room. - -“Pay no attention to her whims,” advised Mrs. Fordyce kindly. “I’ll go -over the accounts with you later; don’t keep Captain Nichols waiting.” - -Marjorie found Tom exceedingly curt on the telephone, and she hung up -the receiver a few seconds later, wondering what under the sun induced -everyone to become so ill-tempered all of a sudden. As she walked -through the dining-room after leaving the pantry, where she had gone to -answer the telephone in preference to disturbing Mr. Calderon Fordyce -in his library, she encountered Janet pouring out a glass of ice water. - -“What did your cousin want?” she asked. - -“He said he would be unable to dine here tonight....” - -“Does he think we run a hotel,” Janet was pale with anger, “that he -breaks our invitations at will? How dare he treat us so cavalierly!” - -“Stop!” Marjorie’s authoritative voice, though low-pitched, brought the -furious girl to her senses. “Captain Nichols intends no disrespect to -your family or to you; in fact, he highly appreciates your kindness and -hospitality.” - -“Then why doesn’t he come here?” - -“He told me to tell you that he had received an invitation to dine at -the White House, and therefore had to cancel his engagement here, to -his great regret. He will join us later at the Charity Ball.” - -“I see,” Janet’s face altered. “I understand now, please say -nothing....” - -“Certainly not,” and Marjorie, seeing that Janet obviously desired to -be alone, made her way thoughtfully to her room. - -Once there she lost no time in getting out her calling costume -preparatory to a hurried toilet after luncheon. On reaching up for her -hat which she kept on the top shelf in her closet, she knocked down a -cherished florist’s box and out tumbled a withered bunch of violets. -With an exclamation of annoyance, she stooped to pick up the petals -and dried leaves, and her fingers closed over cold metal. Considerably -startled, Marjorie retreated to the window and examined what she held -in her hand. It was a beautiful emerald and diamond bracelet which was -carefully secured about the short stems of the bouquet. - -Marjorie gazed at it in complete bewilderment; then going over to the -closet, she picked up the box and its cover. It bore the florist’s name -from whom Duncan had sent her a corsage bouquet some days before; but -certainly when she wore the violets and afterward put them away for -safe keeping no bracelet had encircled the stems. - -More and more startled Marjorie returned to the window, and inspected -the bracelet with minute care. The unique design seemed oddly familiar. -With great difficulty she finally deciphered the initials on the -inside: “S. P.”--“J. C. C.”--“Jan. 14, 1844.” - -“‘S. P.--J. C. C.’” she repeated thoughtfully. “J. C. C.--where have I -heard--Heavens! J. Calhoun-Cooper--of course, I’ve seen Pauline wear -the bracelet. How did it get here?” She looked at the beautiful bauble -with increasing horror, as her ever-present fear supplied an answer to -her question. - -“God help Janet if Pauline ever finds out who took her bracelet,” she -groaned. “She will meet no mercy there.” - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -LIGHT-FINGERED GENTRY - - -TOM NICHOLS passed down the long line of the receiving party at the -Charity Ball and paused near the north end of the New Willard ballroom -and looked about him. The floor was thronged with dancers, and from -where he stood it was impossible to make out the occupants of the boxes -which lined the length of the room on both sides. He waited for some -minutes, hoping that at the end of the dance he would be able to walk -about the floor, but the music was continuous, the Marine Band breaking -into a fox trot when the Engineer Band at the opposite end of the room, -ceased playing. He shouldered his way through the waiting men, and -dodging between the dancers, he walked down the room as best he could, -and reaching the center spied Marjorie and Janet sitting in their box -with several friends. In a few seconds he joined them. - -“Better late than never, Tom,” exclaimed Marjorie gaily. “You’re a -sight for sair e’en. Janet dear, here is Captain Nichols.” - -“Oh, how are you,” Janet paused long enough in her conversation with -Baron von Valkenberg to take Tom’s hand, then deliberately turned her -back on him. - -Tom’s lips were compressed in a hard line as he bowed to Mrs. -Calhoun-Cooper, who was occupying an adjoining seat in the next box, -and leaning across the brass railing which divided them, he conversed -for a short time with her. A movement in his own box caused him to turn -back, and he discovered Janet on the point of leaving. He stepped in -front of her deliberately. - -“My dance, Miss Janet,” he announced. A quick denial sprang to her -lips, only to be checked by the quiet confidence of his manner. Tom -encountered von Valkenberg’s astonished stare over her shoulder, and -addressed him directly. “Sorry, Baron, to disappoint you, but Miss -Janet promised me this dance some time ago; come,” and with care he -assisted Janet down the few steps leading to the floor. - -So congested was the dancing that after circling the room once Tom -stopped his partner near the entrance to the small ballroom and led her -inside it. - -“Suppose we sit over there,” he said pointing to some chairs at the -farther corner of the room. “There is no pleasure in dancing with such -a mob on the floor.” - -“It’s much cooler here,” volunteered Janet, a few minutes later, -breaking a pause which threatened to become awkward. - -“Yes,” absently. - -Janet glanced askance at Tom. She had longed to see him, and now -that he was by her side, she was tongue-tied. She knew that every -instant spent in Tom’s society would arouse Barnard’s jealous rage, but -forbidden fruit was sweet. - -“Why did you boast of our motor trip to Hyattsville?” she blurted out. - -“I, boast of it? I never mentioned it to a soul!” If she had exploded a -firecracker before Tom, he could not have been more astounded. “I swear -I never told anyone,” he added, with vigor, and her aching heart was -comforted. - -“I believe you,” she answered, with such trust kindling her shy regard -that Tom hitched his chair closer to her side. - -“Did you really think I had betrayed your precious confidence in me?” -Janet shook her head. - -“I couldn’t, just couldn’t, believe it,” she admitted. - -“You darling!” Tom’s hand sought hers. “Who dared to say I boasted of -such a thing?” - -“As long as you didn’t do it, the rest doesn’t matter,” declared Janet, -with true feminine logic, and changed the subject abruptly. “Was it fun -at the White House?” - -“I’d have enjoyed it more if I hadn’t wanted to be elsewhere,” admitted -Tom truthfully. “An invitation to the White House is final--to an army -or navy officer; I couldn’t decline it, no previous engagement plea -goes. I hope you understand....” - -“Oh, quite,” Janet was nervously playing with her fan. “But there have -been other times when you might have co--when the White House wouldn’t -have interfered with your coming to--to--see me.” - -“Only your wish kept me away.” - -“My wish?” Startled, Janet faced toward him. - -“Certainly; how else was I to construe your silence?” - -“My silence!” indignantly. “Did you want me to cry from the house-tops -that I wished to see you?” - -“Such an extreme measure was not necessary,” retorted Tom stiffly. “An -answer to my message would have been sufficient.” - -“I never received any message from you.” - -“What! Why, I told your brother to ask you to telephone when I could -call and see you?” - -“He never told me--only mentioned you were to dine with us tonight----” - -“That’s the limit!” Tom banged his sword-hilt with his fist. “Not -getting any reply from you I jumped to the conclusion you were tired of -seeing me.” - -“For a soldier you’re mighty easily discouraged,” taunted Janet, her -spirits rising as the misgivings and doubts of the past few days gave -way before Tom’s explanations. - -“Never again,” vowed Tom. “Next time I’ll storm the citadel. But joking -aside,” dropping his bantering tone. “I did try to see you; called -several times, telephoned--but you were always out. I finally decided -it was intentional; thought you wanted to drop me.” - -“How could you be so unjust!” Janet’s reproachful look caused Tom’s -heart to beat more rapidly under his blue uniform. “I am always loyal -to my friends. You won’t back out of dining with us tomorrow night?” - -“What a way to put it?” Tom made a slight grimace. “Of course, I’m -coming, and I’ll count the hours until then.” - -“The day after Christmas I waited in for you the whole afternoon and -evening, and you never came,” continued Janet plaintively. - -“I couldn’t get away from Myer that afternoon, and had to wait until -Friday before going to Hyattsville to redeem your bracelet. By the way -that bracelet is very beautiful,” lowering his voice. “The emeralds and -diamonds are exceptionally fine, and the workmanship exquisite.” - -“I am so glad your taste coincides with mine,” said Janet, with a quick -coquettish glance upward. “I couldn’t bear to lose the bracelet; it is -so unique.” - -Tom stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Have you ever seen another bracelet -like it?” he questioned at length. A keen glance accompanied the words, -but Janet was watching the distant dancers, and her expression conveyed -nothing to him. - -“N--no, I don’t believe I have,” she replied slowly, and Tom’s heart -sank. “It’s unusual appearance is one of its beauties to me. Have you -my bracelet with you?” - -“Have I?” in profound astonishment. “No,” then seeing her disappointed -look, he asked sharply, “Why should you expect me to have your -bracelet?” - -“Who else would have it?” her eyes opening wider. “Didn’t you redeem it -for me?” - -“Of course I did, but I left it at your house on Saturday.” - -“Left it at my house?” she half rose, then sank back again in her -chair. “I have never received it.” - -“What! Didn’t you find it in the box of violets?” - -“Violets? I never received any violets from you.” - -“You didn’t?” Tom’s bewilderment was so pronounced that Janet took -fright. - -“D--do you think the florist stole the bracelet?” she demanded -breathlessly. - -“No, he couldn’t have. I bought the violets at Small’s, took them with -me in my motor, and on a side street opened the box and slipped the -bracelet over the stems, where you couldn’t fail to see it. I left the -box at your house myself.” - -Janet looked at him queerly. “Ah, indeed; and with which member of the -household did you leave it?” - -“I gave it to Perkins, and he promised to deliver it to you immediately -on your return.” - -“He never gave it to me.” - -Tom rose. “I’ll go straight up to your house and ask him for it.” - -“No, no.” She laid a restraining hand on his sword-hilt. “He is -probably in bed by now; mother’s so thoughtful for her servants, she -lets them retire early when I’m out with Duncan; he always has his -latchkey. I’ll ask Perkins first thing in the morning.” - -“And will you let me know the results?” Tom resumed his seat. “I shall -be on tenter-hooks until I know the bracelet is safely in your hands. I -feel responsible, you know; if it’s lost....” - -“Nonsense,” noting his worried air. “Bracelets have disappeared before; -don’t take it to heart.” - -“Can you tell me which jewelry shop it came from----?” - -It was some moments before she replied. “It was an antique.” - -Tom’s heart grew heavy again. At every question he ran into a blank -wall. How was he ever to disprove Representative J. Calhoun-Cooper’s -absurd statement unless he had something tangible to work on. The -bracelet was surely bewitched by some evil genius. - -“An antique? That’s hard luck,” he answered finally. “If it is really -lost through my carelessness in trusting a servant, I shall want to -replace it....” - -“You mustn’t think of such a thing,” vehemently. - -“Oh, but I insist. You draw the design and I’ll have it made.” - -“I shouldn’t think of letting you go to all that expense,” protested -Janet. - -“To think I made you lose an ornament you value!” groaned Tom. “I, who -would move heaven and earth to spare you the slightest....” but Janet -never waited for him to complete the sentence; she had caught sight of -Chichester Barnard standing in the doorway talking to Mrs. Walbridge. -His back was turned to them; it was just possible that he had not seen -that she was with Tom. She sprang to her feet. - -“Do forgive me,” she whispered hurriedly. “Marjorie has just waved to -me; I must go. Please don’t follow me.” And before the startled officer -could even get to his feet she had darted across the floor and out of -the room, and brought up breathless beside Mrs. Walbridge. - -“No sign of late hours in these rosy cheeks,” commented the latter, -touching Janet’s scarlet face with her gloved finger. “She needs no -beauty sleep.” - -“Indeed, no,” agreed Barnard. “But I’m going to be selfish enough to -ask Miss Janet to sit out a dance with me,” laying his hand with an air -of possession on her arm which enlightened sentimental Mrs. Walbridge. - -“Run along,” she directed, interrupting Janet’s hasty protests. “I was -young once myself. Don’t bother to wait for me. My husband will get me -some fruit punch.” - -Reluctantly Janet walked toward her box, Barnard in close attendance. -In her desire not to have him see her with Tom, she had given him -an opening for a quiet chat with her alone--unless Marjorie was in -their box. But Marjorie, attended by Baron von Valkenberg, had gone -“visiting” in a neighboring box, and Duncan was dancing with Pauline -Calhoun-Cooper. Janet prayed that Barnard was in a pleasant mood; -she had grown to dread his uncertain temper. He could be so charming -when he wanted to. Her heart was fluttering like a caged bird as she -preceded Barnard into the empty box; she dared not offend him, and she -dreaded more scenes. - -“I hear congratulations are in order,” she began. - -“For what?” - -“On your inheritance.” - -“Oh, that!” Barnard spoke as if it were a mere bagatelle. “I may be a -long time getting it; settling an estate is tedious work. Aunt Margaret -was angelic to remember me in her will, and I am doubly grateful, -because, when I receive the inheritance I can lavish it all on you, my -darling,” bending toward her, but a loud burst of laughter from the -Calhoun-Cooper box caused him to look in that direction. Janet moved -her chair imperceptibly nearer the brass railing and away from his side. - -“On second’s thought I don’t believe I’ll let you spend any of your -inheritance on me,” she remarked thoughtfully, as he turned back to -her. The pupils of his eyes contracted, and Janet was conscious of a -feeling akin to repulsion. - -“What do you mean?” he demanded. - -“I’m not good enough for you, Chichester,” she stammered. “You -should marry a woman of brilliant mental attainments--a woman of the -world--I’m only an unformed schoolgirl.” - -“You have too modest an opinion of yourself,” he protested with -passionate ardor. “It’s your freshness, your originality which I -adore. My bonnie lassie and her susceptible heart!” His voice and eyes -caressed her, and a warmer color suffused her cheeks. “I’m not half -good enough for you, but such as I am, I am your slave always.” - -“Always!” she echoed, and Barnard leaned forward to look more closely -at her, but she avoided his direct gaze, and concentrated her attention -on the dancers on the floor beneath them. - -All Washington apparently was present to aid the pet charity for which -the ball was annually given, and men and women in every condition -of life were enjoying the entertainment. High government officials, -diplomats, leaders of the ultra-smart set, and members of the resident -circle vied with each other to make the ball a success. Janet scanned -the opposite boxes in which sat beautifully gowned women, whose superb -jewels glittered in the rays of the hundreds of electric lights. - -“My darling!” She jumped nervously, and held up a protesting hand. - -“Hush!” she cautioned. “Don’t forget Mrs. J. Calhoun-Cooper is sitting -near us, and she may overhear....” - -“Why doesn’t she go away,” muttered Barnard disgustedly. “Lately, I -seldom have you to myself. If I was of a suspicious nature, I might -think it was intentional”--Janet squirmed in her chair, and after -contemplating her a moment in smiling satisfaction, Barnard again -inspected Mrs. J. Calhoun-Cooper. “She looks like an Indian begum.” - -“Don’t be so unkind in your criticism,” with an effort Janet summoned a -careless smile. “Mrs. Calhoun-Cooper’s gown is a creation.” - -“Hum! the modiste has left most of the surface to be covered by -jewels--cold comfort tonight. Don’t you want your scarf over your -shoulders?” - -“No, thank you; I am still warm from dancing.” Janet’s eyes again -sought the throng below her. “I wonder where Marjorie is--and Duncan. -Oh, look, who is the pretty woman dancing with Joe Calhoun-Cooper?” - -Barnard glanced in the direction she indicated, and his eyebrows rose -suggestively. “No one you are likely to know, lady bird. How fearfully -they dance.” - -“She is graceful,” declared Janet. “But Joe--nothing could make him so.” - -“Women take to the new-fangled dances better than the men,” grumbled -Barnard. “Give me the old-fashioned waltz and two-step every time. Even -the music has deteriorated; no melody any more. Listen to that,” as the -Marine Band burst into a popular tune, “nothing to be heard but the big -drum, it drowns every other instrument--hark!” - -“But I don’t want to hear it,” she objected. “Let us talk instead.” - -“That is just what we can’t do--the big drum sounds distinct and clear; -listen--!” - -[Illustration: “Barnard again inspected Mrs. J. Calhoun-Cooper. ‘She -looks like an Indian begum.’”] - -Mrs. J. Calhoun-Cooper’s ever busy eyes had also noted the pretty woman -with whom Joe was dancing, and a displeased frown marked her forehead. -She was about to send one of her guests after Joe with a message -that she desired his presence, when she observed Marjorie Langdon -approaching. Joe and his pretty partner stopped dancing near the -latter, and Marjorie, recognizing Kathryn Allen, stepped forward and -held out her hand, but no sign of recognition lighted the nurse’s face, -and after inspecting Marjorie with marked insolence she cut her dead. -Mrs. J. Calhoun-Cooper, an interested spectator of the little drama, -thrilled with satisfaction as she caught the hot resentment that flamed -in Marjorie’s face. Controlling herself, Marjorie stepped back out of -the crowd and came face to face with Duncan Fordyce. - -“I don’t know where you’ve been keeping yourself,” he said, “but I -searched both ballrooms and haven’t found a sign of you until now.” - -“I haven’t been dancing,” she sighed rather wearily. “Mrs. Burns asked -me to sit in her box for a while; I am on my way back to Janet now to -arrange about going down to supper.” - -“Let us have one dance first,” pleaded Duncan, and taking silence for -consent, he slipped his arm about her waist and they threaded a way -through the other dancers. - -Pushing unpleasant thoughts to one side, Marjorie surrendered herself -wholly to the pleasure of the moment. The pressure of Duncan’s strong -arm gave her a sense of protection which soothed her jagged nerves -unutterably, and she danced almost without being conscious of the -people around her. Duncan’s gaze sought her face so persistently that -they had several narrow escapes from bad collisions. They were turning -a corner near the entrance to the small ballroom when they caromed -violently into a man who was striving to make his way down the room, -and shot him against the side of one of the boxes. - -“I beg your pardon,” apologized Duncan and Marjorie in concert, and the -stranger, recovering his equilibrium, stared fixedly at Duncan. - -“Nice way to treat old friends,” he began, but got no further. - -“Paul Potter! by all that’s glorious!” shouted Duncan, seizing his hand -and wringing it hard. “Where did you drop from?” - -“New York, stopping with Judge and Mrs. Walbridge. I tried to telephone -you”----he stopped out of breath. - -“Miss Langdon, let me present Dr. Paul Potter, of San Francisco,” broke -in Duncan, and Marjorie found herself looking into the most piercing -eyes she had ever seen in human head, as her hand was taken in a firm -clasp. - -“Very glad to meet you, Miss Langdon,” said the physician cordially. -“I’m sorry to have interrupted your dance.” - -“We were on the point of stopping----” she began. - -“Not so that I could notice it,” and Dr. Potter’s eyes twinkled. - -“I am afraid we were exceeding the speed limit,” acknowledged Duncan. -“Come over to our box, Paul, and sit with us.” - -“I can’t, old man, I must be getting back to Mrs. Walbridge; she is -anxious to go down to supper.” - -“Perhaps we can get a table together. Come on, I’ll ask Mrs. Walbridge, -her box is near ours.” - -Marjorie accompanied the two men to the steps leading to the boxes, -but on approaching the one occupied by Mrs. Walbridge she turned and -addressed Duncan. - -“I won’t wait for you,” she said, “but will join Janet at once.” - -“Very well, I’ll be along in a minute,” and Marjorie hastened down the -narrow aisle alone. - -Janet and Chichester Barnard were still sitting as close as the chairs -permitted in the corner of the box, their heads almost touching as they -whispered together, and Marjorie’s eyes narrowed as she took in the -tableau. She had watched Janet dancing with Tom with a contented mind, -and the last she had seen of Barnard he was dancing attendance on Mrs. -Walbridge. - -“Well, good people, thinking of supper?” she inquired, and noticed with -an odd sensation Janet’s flushed face and embarrassed manner as she -turned to meet her. - -“Our thoughts are not so material,” protested Barnard easily. - -“N--no?” and the faint irony of her tone was not lost on Barnard’s -keen susceptibilities. - -“Who was the little man walking down the room with you and Duncan, -Marjorie?” questioned Janet hurriedly. “His face looked familiar.” - -“Dr. Potter, of San Francisco.” - -“Of course; how stupid of me not to recognize him, he once attended -mother,” in a hurried aside as her brother and Tom entered the box. - -“Going down to supper?” asked Mrs. Calhoun-Cooper, attracted by her -neighbors’ preparations for leaving. - -“Yes,” replied Marjorie shortly. - -“Then suppose we join forces,” ignoring the lack of cordiality in -Marjorie’s manner. “Kindly hand me my scarf.” Her overbearing tone -brought the carmine to Marjorie’s cheeks, and a hot retort was on -her lips when, thinking better of it, she mastered her indignation. -Stooping she picked up the gold and silver Coronation scarf which had -fallen inside their box, and laid it across Mrs. Calhoun-Cooper’s bare -expanse of shoulder. - -“All ready?” questioned Duncan, inspecting his small party. “Then come -on.” - -Once in the crowded dining-room on the ground floor of the New Willard, -Marjorie thanked a kindly Providence which ordained that the tables -were too small to accommodate the Calhoun-Cooper party and her own, -and she saw them depart to another quarter of the room with inward -joy. Barnard, silently resenting that he was the fifth spoke in the -wheel, left them, and joined another group of friends, and Duncan, -contemplating his sister and Tom already deep in conversation, gave his -undivided attention to Marjorie. They were none of them conscious of -the tardiness of the service, or the flight of time, and Tom gave voice -to genuine regret as they finally rose from the table and made their -way to the lift. - -“Why do good times have to end?” he grumbled. “I don’t know when I have -enjoyed myself so much.” - -“It has been fun,” agreed Janet softly, secretly longing to linger -beside the distinguished-looking young officer. “Shall we see you at -dinner tomorrow?” - -“You bet!” he whispered, with emphasis. - -“Go ahead, Janet,” Duncan’s strong arm propelled his sister forward. -“Don’t you see the lift is waiting?” - -As Marjorie and Tom started to follow them some new arrivals pushed -rudely between, and an instant later, the packed elevator shot upward. - -“Never mind, we’ll catch the next one,” said Tom consolingly, as -he darted to the second shaft. “It’s coming down now.” They waited -impatiently for the passengers in the elevator to step out in the -square hall, then entered and found they had the lift to themselves. -The elevator boy was about to release the lever, when the starter -tapped on the glass partition, and throwing open the door, permitted -Representative J. Calhoun-Cooper to step inside. - -“Good evening, sir,” said Marjorie cordially. - -“Oh, how do you do,” replied Calhoun-Cooper, somewhat taken aback on -recognizing his companions. He barely nodded to Tom, whose greeting was -equally curt; and Marjorie, becoming aware of the apparently strained -relations between the two men, broke the awkward silence. - -“I am afraid you are too late to see the ball at its height,” she said. - -“I couldn’t get here any earlier,” answered Calhoun-Cooper. “Have you -seen my wife and daughter this evening?” - -“Yes; they finished supper before we did, and have already gone back to -the ballroom.” - -Calhoun-Cooper, who had been watching Marjorie with peculiar -intentness, wheeled on Tom. - -“My congratulations, Captain,” he said sardonically. “You executed my -commission with commendable quickness.” - -“I don’t catch your meaning, sir,” retorted Tom frigidly. - -“The bracelet was returned to me this evening. My thanks to you--both,” -and bowing he turned to the door as the boy brought the lift to a stop. - -Under the shock of his words Tom and Marjorie stood stock still, eying -one another in complete bewilderment, while one question raced through -the brains of both: what did the other know of the lost bracelet? - -“All out,” exclaimed the elevator boy insistently, as he rolled -back the door, and Marjorie, recovering herself first, followed -Calhoun-Cooper into the reception hall out of which opened the large -ballroom and cloak-rooms. - -Just as Calhoun-Cooper started for the ballroom, Pauline crossed the -threshold, and seeing her father, stopped short. - -“Oh, father!” she exclaimed, making no effort to lower her penetrating -voice. “Mother’s pearl necklace has been stolen from her.” - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -FALSE WITNESS - - -MARJORIE handed the menu back to the chef, gave him the completed -marketing list, added a few instructions, and made her way to the -boudoir. There was no buoyancy in her step, and she looked wretchedly -ill as she crossed the threshold into the sunlit room. If Mrs. Fordyce -had not been deeply immersed in her own condition, she could hardly -have failed to observe the deep circles under Marjorie’s eyes, and the -hectic flush in each white cheek. Her sleepless night had left its -telltale mark. - -“How are you feeling, Mrs. Fordyce?” asked Marjorie, walking over to -the couch on which the older woman was lying propped up with pillows. - -“Better, thank you; if this old heart of mine only stops palpitating -I will be up and about again in no time. Sit down by me, dear,” and -Marjorie took a chair by the couch. - -“Don’t you think I had better call off the dinner tonight?” she said. - -“No, indeed,” with emphasis. “These heart attacks are not serious.” -Marjorie, perceiving the blueness of her lips and her gray pallor, -thought differently, and her heart ached for her gentle benefactress. -She longed to take Mrs. Fordyce into her confidence, to tell her all -her doubts and fears; but how could she tell the story of the thefts -implicating Janet to the mother who adored her? “Janet has set her -heart on having this dinner, and I cannot disappoint the child,” went -on Mrs. Fordyce. - -“But I don’t think Janet will enjoy entertaining while you are ill,” -said Marjorie. - -“Tut! Just an indisposition; don’t alarm the child,” sharply. - -“I wouldn’t think of doing it,” protested Marjorie. “I only feared the -sound of the guests’ voices might disturb you.” - -“Not a bit of it; this house is soundproof,” smiled Mrs. Fordyce. -“There was a time when I reveled in dinners and dances; now I have to -take my fun by proxy--don’t begrudge me the crumbs.” - -“Oh, Mrs. Fordyce!” Marjorie’s shocked voice brought another smile to -her companion’s lips. - -“There, there, dearie,” she patted Marjorie’s hand affectionately. -“Don’t worry about a worn-out shell. Calderon has sent for a trained -nurse; not that I need one, but the idea seemed to give him some -comfort.” - -“And of course you agreed.” - -“Naturally; when you are married, my dear, you will soon discover that -matrimony is made up of mutual concessions; that is, if you wish to -stay married to the same man. Tell me, is there any truth in the report -of your engagement....” Marjorie’s fingers tightened on the hand she -was holding, then slowly loosened.... “to Captain Nichols?” - -“Tom!” Her surprise was so pronounced that Mrs. Fordyce smiled to -herself. “Why, he’s just like an elder brother.” - -“Ah, then you are heart-whole and fancy free?” But Marjorie treated -the sentence as a remark and not as a question, and Mrs. Fordyce -continued pleasantly. “Enough of intimate affairs today. Will you go -through the morning mail and use your judgment about the answers to the -invitations?” - -Marjorie picked up the pile of letters on the table and rose. - -“Are you----?” she stumbled in her speech, and Mrs. Fordyce eyed -her in some surprise. “Are you quite satisfied with me?” and under -her lingerie waist her heart pounded painfully as she awaited Mrs. -Fordyce’s answer which was somewhat long in coming. - -“Absolutely satisfied,” acknowledged Mrs. Fordyce, and the smile -accompanying the words almost broke down Marjorie’s composure. -Stooping, she kissed her warmly, and when she looked up some of the -brightness had returned to her face. “I have absolute confidence in -you,” added Mrs. Fordyce quietly. “Run along now, dear, and come back -when you have finished answering the letters.” - -Lighter at heart Marjorie hastened to the library, but on opening -the door, she discovered Mr. Calderon Fordyce busy at his desk, and -without disturbing him, she slipped back into the hall and sought the -drawing-room. Going over to the boule cabinet, which she on several -occasions had used in an emergency, she proceeded to open and sort Mrs. -Fordyce’s correspondence, frequently making entries and looking up -dates in an engagement book which she had brought with her. The last -letter was in a handwriting which she recognized, and wondering why -Mrs. Arnold should send a second invitation to the same person in the -same mail, she tore open the envelope. - - DEAR MRS. FORDYCE, [she read], - - I am just sending a formal invitation to your daughter to our dinner - dance at the Country Club, and I do hope that she can come. I will see - that Miss Fordyce is properly chaperoned. Miss Langdon’s presence will - not be necessary.... - -Marjorie dropped the letter and stared vacantly before her. Five days -previously Mrs. Arnold had gushingly invited her to the dinner dance, -telling her that a written invitation would be sent to her shortly, and -begging her not to forget the engagement. What did the sudden change of -front portend? “Miss Langdon”--heretofore Mrs. Arnold, a leader in the -young married set, had always addressed her as “Marjorie.” - -Putting the letter back in its envelope, Marjorie commenced an answer -to a luncheon invitation, and completing it, hurriedly folded the -notepaper, only to discover that the back sheet was partially written -on. With an exclamation of annoyance, she caught it up and ran her -eyes over the clear back-hand, her mind subconsciously taking in the -meaning of the written words: - - DEAR CAPTAIN NICHOLS: - - I am sending this by special delivery, as I want you to get it without - fail [heavily underscored]. Perkins tells me he had to go out and gave - your violets to Annie, the chamber maid. Annie says she placed the - box in the dressing-room as it was cooler there and she thought the - flowers would keep better. She knows nothing more of the matter, did - not tell me of the flowers because she thought they would be found by - me or Marjorie Langdon.... - -A bad blot finished the sentence, and explained why the sheet had been -discarded. - -Marjorie sat stunned, too confused, at first to puzzle out the -significance of the unfinished note, which was in Janet’s unmistakable -handwriting. Then she rose, stumbled over to the broad sofa, and -curling up in one corner, pillowed her head on her arms, and gave -herself up to elucidating the enigma;--but the more she thought the -more nonplussed she became. - -Janet’s note indicated that Tom Nichols had sent her violets which -apparently she had never received; she hinted that Marjorie might have -found them--but the only violets which she, Marjorie had received -had come from Janet’s brother, Duncan, the afternoon of the British -Embassy dinner. Touched by the attention, and stirred by a deeper -emotion than she had ever felt before, she had carefully preserved -Duncan’s withered bouquet in her closet. Astounded by the discovery -of the emerald and diamond bracelet in her flower box; utterly unable -to explain how it got there, she had, in her desire to protect Janet -and silence any investigation which the loss of the bracelet might -start, returned it anonymously to Representative J. Calhoun-Cooper. In -the light of Janet’s note, had she inadvertently, not looking at the -contents of Small’s box, put away in her closet Janet’s violets, and -the maid, finding only Duncan’s withered bouquet in the dressing-room, -thrown it away? It seemed the only explanation. But Representative J. -Calhoun-Cooper’s remarks in the lift at the ball indicated that he was -aware the bracelet had come from her, Marjorie, and that _Tom knew -of its loss_. Could it be that Tom had discovered that Janet was a -kleptomaniac? - -The mere idea brought Marjorie up all standing; only to sink back -again with a groan, appalled at the possibility. Honest Tom, with his -high standards of rectitude, in love with a girl whose perception of -the laws governing _meum_ and _tuum_ was so blunted, spelled tragedy. -Marjorie dismissed the thought with a shudder, and her mind reverted to -another puzzling phase of the situation: Calhoun-Cooper, by speech, and -Tom, by look, had implied she was responsible for the loss and return -of the bracelet. Who had.... - -“For once I’ve caught you napping!” teased a voice, and Marjorie jerked -herself erect, to find Chichester Barnard standing looking down at her. - -The laughter in his eyes gave way to concern at sight of her face. “My -darling, what is it?” he questioned, alarmed. - -“Nothing”--then seeing his disbelief, she added, “Nothing that would -interest you....” - -“But everything that concerns you, interests me,” he protested. “What -is troubling you?” - -“A matter of no moment,” speaking more briskly. “What brought you here -this morning?” - -“To be quite frank I called to see Janet Fordyce,” he replied -brusquely, nettled by her manner. - -“I prefer you when you are candid....” - -“Are you trying to pick a quarrel with me?” - -“Is that so difficult a thing to do?” insolently. - -“If you mean I swallow every----” Barnard stopped, controlling his -aroused anger with difficulty. “Come, come,” he said more mildly. “It -is a waste of time for us to bandy words.” He held out his hands with -the charming smile which had won many a friend for him. “Let’s kiss -and--forget.” - -Marjorie made no move to take his extended hand. “Who let you in?” she -asked. - -“The footman.” Barnard paced rapidly up and down before the -chimney-piece, then seated himself by Marjorie’s side. “Don’t treat -me as an outsider,” he pleaded. “I have always your best interests at -heart; let me share your worries as well as your pleasures. I’ll do -anything in the world for you, Madge, anything”--and his voice shook -with the strength of his passion. - -Marjorie hesitated; her distrust controlling her impulse to confide -her perplexities to the man who, only six short weeks before, had -absorbed her mind and, as she thought, her heart. - -“You are very kind,” she began formally. The conventional words -somewhat chilled Barnard’s ardor, but his offended expression went -unnoticed as Marjorie again hesitated. “What did Mrs. Calhoun-Cooper -say to you about the loss of her necklace?” she asked finally. - -Barnard smiled wryly. “It would be easier to tell you what she left -unsaid--she only exhausted her vocabulary as we reached her house, and -even then Pauline had to caution her to be quiet before the servants.” - -“An impossible woman!” - -“With a still more impossible family,” impatiently. “Did you notice -Joe’s manner to his mother when she called him into her box at the ball -last night?” - -“No; but did you see who was with him?” - -“Did I,” with eloquent emphasis. “Mrs. Calhoun-Cooper apparently took -stock of Kathryn Allen, to her disadvantage. She was not asked to enter -their box.” - -“The Calhoun-Coopers have social aspirations, don’t forget that....” - -“They won’t let us forget it,” shrugging his shoulders, “but I rather -like Representative J. Calhoun-Cooper.” - -“I did, until last night”--the bitterness in her voice caught Barnard’s -attention, but before he could question her, she rose and stepping -over to the desk, picked up Janet’s unfinished letter to Tom Nichols -and deliberately tore it into tiny pieces. “If you will excuse me, -I’ll find out what is keeping Janet,” and gathering up Mrs. Fordyce’s -letters and engagement book she made for the door, where she paused. -“Have you any idea what steps Mrs. Calhoun-Cooper intends taking to -recover her pearl necklace?” - -“Telegraphed for Pinkerton’s men I believe; Madge, don’t go....” but -she glided from the room before he could stop her, and with a muttered -exclamation he reseated himself. A few minutes later the footman -appeared in the doorway. - -“Miss Langdon wishes me to tell you, sir, that Miss Janet is out -motoring with her brother,” he announced. - -Barnard, who had started up at the servant’s entrance, coolly resumed -his seat. “I will wait until Miss Janet returns,” he said. - -“Very good, sir,” and Henderson retired. - -Barnard was about at the end of his patience when Janet entered the -room. - -“I am sorry to be late,” she apologized hurriedly. “Duncan’s new -motor-car just came this morning, and he asked me to go for a run in -it. I expected to be back before you got here,” tossing off her furs -and coat as she spoke. - -“Let me help you,” and with quick, deft fingers Barnard assisted her to -remove her heavy veil. “What a becoming hat!” - -“Do you think so?” dimpling with pleasure. “Marjorie selected it; she -has awfully good taste. Has she been here?” in some anxiety. - -“I came to see you, lady bird, and not to talk about another girl,” -Barnard glanced hastily about the room. “Come over and sit in that bow -window, and nobody will disturb us.” - -“Very well,” and crossing the room, Janet settled herself in an -arm-chair. She was sick of fighting against the inevitable, and such -Chichester Barnard now appeared to her. Try as she did, she could not -avoid him. His omnipresence tormented her. She had gone out with Duncan -purposely, hoping to miss his visit. On learning that he was awaiting -her return, she had sent in hot haste for Marjorie only to be told -that her chaperon had stepped out on an errand for her mother. She had -stood outside the drawing-room portières for fully three minutes before -finding courage to enter. If only Barnard would not make love to her! - -“Aren’t you a wee bit sleepy after last night?” she asked as he joined -her in the bow window. - -“The prospect of seeing you this morning has kept me wide awake,” -tenderly. “You treated me shamefully at the ball, giving so many dances -to other men.” - -“You deserted me at supper,” in quick defence. “We only stayed a -little longer after that; Marjorie developed one of her headaches--my -goodness”--catching sight of a limousine turning into the driveway -leading to their porte-cochère. “Who’s calling here at this hour?” - -“I believe it’s the Calhoun-Coopers,” Barnard peered cautiously out of -the window. “It looks like their car. The theft of their pearls has -murdered sleep.” He stepped back and scanned Janet mockingly. “Will you -face the music?” - -She put out her hand as if to ward off a blow, and rising hurriedly, -darted out into the hall and stopped the footman on his way to the -front door. - -“Not at home, Henderson,” she directed. “And Mrs. Fordyce is not -feeling well enough to see anyone.” - -“Very good, Miss Janet.” - -Janet turned with lagging footsteps back to the drawing-room, one hand -pressed to her side to still the pounding of her heart. Barnard, a look -of deep concern on his handsome face, met her at the threshold. - -“My precious darling!” he murmured, but with trembling hands she pushed -him violently from her as he attempted to kiss her. - -“No, no!” she implored, and staggered over to the grand piano. - -“How long must I serve!” demanded Barnard, his voice shaking with -emotion as he followed her. “Janet, will you never listen to the -dictates of your heart?” - -“If I did----!” Janet’s agonized gaze left his face and traveled -downward to the keyboard of the piano. Suppose she told him too much? -She must keep a guard upon her tongue-- - -“Play for me, Chichester,” she pleaded. - -Barnard, no mean musician, struck several chords and stopped. “I am -afraid the piano wants tuning.” - -“Oh, the man must have left without finishing his work,” she exclaimed. - -“Probably went to get his lunch; here are his tuning-fork and kit.” -Barnard picked up the instruments. “Only two or three notes are below -pitch, perhaps I can put them right.” - -“Do try,” she begged, and Barnard obediently struck the tuning-fork. - -Janet’s belief that her “not at home” message would send Mrs. J. -Calhoun-Cooper away, was not well founded. Henderson’s information -caused that determined matron to hesitate for a second only, then she -inquired for Mr. Calderon Fordyce. - -“Ask him if he will see me for a few moments on a matter of -importance,” she added, detecting the footman’s embarrassment. - -“Wouldn’t Miss Langdon do?” he ventured. - -“Certainly not,” and somewhat overawed by her air of authority, he -showed her and Pauline into the reception-room and went to tell his -master of their presence. - -“Asked for me personally, Henderson?” questioned Calderon Fordyce, -examining the visiting-cards attentively. - -“Yes, sir; Mrs. Calhoun-Cooper declared Miss Langdon would not do; that -she had to see you on a matter of importance, sir.” - -“Has Mr. Duncan returned?” - -“No, sir.” - -Fordyce cast a regretful look at the letter he was engaged in writing -when interrupted, and rose. “Did you show the ladies into the -drawing-room?” - -“No, sir; they’re in the reception-room,” Henderson followed his master -out into the hall. “If you please, sir,” he began deferentially. “Don’t -take the ladies into the drawing-room, sir; Miss Janet is there with a -caller, and I don’t think she wishes to be disturbed, sir.” - -“Very well,” and hastening his footsteps, Fordyce went directly to the -reception-room. Mrs. Calhoun-Cooper returned his greeting with such -impressiveness that his eyes twinkled. “Please pardon me for keeping -you waiting,” he began, after shaking hands with Pauline. - -“We had not meant to disturb you,” chimed in Pauline, “but your footman -said Mrs. Fordyce was indisposed.” - -“And our errand is really very important,” interrupted Mrs. -Calhoun-Cooper, “otherwise we would not have insisted on seeing you.” - -Calderon Fordyce looked at his guests in some perplexity, but their -serious manner impressed him, and he said slowly, “In that case we had -better adjourn to my library; we can have no privacy in this room. Will -you come this way?” - -It was the first time Mrs. J. Calhoun-Cooper had been in the library, -and she surveyed the handsomely furnished room with some envy. Calderon -Fordyce’s “Now, madame,” brought her back to her errand. - -“Possibly Janet told you of the disappearance of my pearl necklace at -the ball last night?” - -“My son spoke to me about it. Have you taken any steps to recover the -necklace?” - -“My husband has placed the matter in the hands of detectives,” Mrs. -Calhoun-Cooper cleared her throat. “The necklace is really very -valuable, the pearls being graduated in size and of wonderful luster. -It took my husband years to collect them----” her voice gave out. - -“I am deeply sorry for your loss,” said Fordyce gravely. “Have you no -clue by which the thief might be traced?” - -“We have,” answered Pauline quickly. “And that brings us here.” - -“I don’t take your meaning,” Calderon Fordyce’s heavy eyebrows met in -an unmistakable frown. - -“We are convinced that mother’s necklace was stolen by Miss Marjorie -Langdon.” - -Fordyce’s eyes opened wide. “Preposterous nonsense!” he jerked out with -more force than elegance. - -“I am sorry to contradict you,” Pauline’s thin lips closed obstinately. -“There is no doubt but that she is guilty.” - -“You are really in earnest?” - -“Absolutely. We came here this morning to warn your wife, Mr. Fordyce, -and not being able to see her, decided that it was our duty to tell you -of Miss Langdon’s dishonesty.” - -“Thank you,” dryly. Fordyce regarded his visitors in incredulous -silence for some seconds, then excusing himself, stepped past them -into the hall. Mrs. Calhoun-Cooper exchanged an uneasy glance with her -daughter, but had not opportunity to voice her thoughts, for Calderon -Fordyce re-entered the room almost immediately, followed by Marjorie, -whom he met returning from her shopping expedition. - -“As your statements were not made in confidence, Mrs. Calhoun-Cooper,” -he said, “I must ask you to repeat them before Miss Langdon.” - -Marjorie, having received no inkling as to why her presence was desired -in the library, gazed from one to the other in bewilderment and growing -dread. - -Mrs. Calhoun-Cooper flushed and her eyes flashed angrily. “I shall have -no hesitancy in repeating my charges”--Marjorie’s start was not lost on -the others. “Miss Langdon, I demand that you instantly return my pearl -necklace which you stole from me last night at the ball.” - -“You’re mad!” burst out Marjorie. “I haven’t your necklace.” - -“Lies won’t do, my girl!” Mrs. Calhoun-Cooper’s native coarseness -was gaining the upper hand under the pressure of excitement and rage -which almost mastered her. “I felt you fumbling with the clasp of the -necklace.” - -“Indeed? And why didn’t you speak of it at the time?” - -“Because my attention was distracted, and when I turned back to speak -to you, you had vanished.” - -“With the necklace,” added Pauline. - -“Not so fast!” Marjorie’s indignation almost choked her utterance, -and she stopped to regain control of her voice. “The robbery took -place while I was still at the supper-table, ten stories beneath the -ballroom.” - -“The necklace disappeared earlier in the evening,” explained Mrs. -Calhoun-Cooper, “for I missed it on my return to the ballroom -immediately after supper.” - -“You have only your word to support such a statement,” retorted -Marjorie swiftly. “I deny your charge absolutely. Oh, Mr. Fordyce,” -turning appealingly to him, “do have faith in my word.” - -“Of course I will,” his hearty assurance brought tears of relief to -Marjorie’s eyes. “Miss Marjorie, during the evening, did you see anyone -enter Mrs. Calhoun-Cooper’s box who might be the real thief?” - -Marjorie’s eyes never wavered before her questioner’s gaze. “I am -afraid I can give you no information or clue which will help in tracing -the robber,” she said slowly. - -“Too bad,” Fordyce shook his head. “I think, Mrs. Calhoun-Cooper, -you had better wait and see what the detectives can do to trace your -necklace.” - -“Do you mean to say, Mr. Fordyce, that you do not believe me when I -state that Miss Langdon stole my necklace?” - -“I do, madame; unless you can get someone to substantiate your -statement.” - -“Ask her, she knows,” burst out Pauline, pointing to a shadowy figure -standing near the half-open door. With one accord they turned in that -direction, and faced by the four pairs of eyes, Janet came reluctantly -forward. - -Marjorie turned sick as her thoughts raced to the delicate, kindly -mother upstairs and the upright, idolizing father--how would they bear -the disclosure of Janet’s kleptomania? The moment she dreaded had come -at last. - -“Well, Janet,” her father’s curt voice cut the silence. “What do you -know of the disappearance of Mrs. Calhoun-Cooper’s pearl necklace?” - -Janet’s eyes rested for a moment on Marjorie, then traveled back to her -father. - -“I saw Marjorie steal the necklace,” she said quietly. - -Marjorie’s low cry of horror was drowned in Mrs. Calhoun-Cooper’s -triumphant shout. - -“There, what did I tell you?” she demanded. - -“Be quiet!” Calderon Fordyce’s face had grown very grave. “Janet, are -you telling the absolute truth?” Never had he spoken in that tone -before to her, and Janet whitened. - -“Yes, father.” - -“How did Miss Marjorie steal the necklace?” The question cost him an -effort. - -“Mrs. Calhoun-Cooper requested her to replace her scarf about her -shoulders,” Janet spoke more and more slowly and with growing -reluctance. “When Marjorie lowered her hand, I saw the end of the pearl -necklace hanging from it.” - -“And you said nothing?” - -“No, father.” - -“Why?” - -“I wasn’t absolutely certain--I’ve kept quiet since, because I could -not bear to betray Marjorie.” - -Calderon Fordyce broke the tense silence. - -“Miss Marjorie, can you deny my daughter’s statement?” - -Marjorie was ghastly as she straightened up and faced her accusers; -Mrs. Calhoun-Cooper and Pauline openly triumphant, Calderon Fordyce, -stern, unbending; and Janet, pitying. Janet’s features were strangely -like and unlike Duncan’s, and the elusive likeness haunted Marjorie. - -Twice she strove to speak. - -“Oh, what’s the use?” she cried, and laughing hysterically, fled from -the room. - - - - -CHAPTER XX - -WATCHFUL WAITING - - -“CAN I see Dr. Potter?” inquired Duncan, handing his visiting-card to -Mrs. Walbridge’s butler. - -“Mr. Fordyce, sir?” interrogatively, and Duncan nodded assent. “The -Doctor is waiting for you, sir. Please step this way”--but before they -reached the drawing-room, Paul Potter appeared in the hall. - -“Very glad to see you, Duncan,” he said warmly. “Nobody’s home but -myself, so come into the Judge’s den; we can talk undisturbed there.” - -“I was detained in reaching here. I wanted particularly to see you -alone. I had to drop Janet at home first; she went out with me to try -my new roadster,” explained Duncan, following Potter into the cozy room -which Judge Walbridge used as his sanctum sanctorum. “Mother wishes to -know if you will dine informally with us tonight; only a few friends -are coming in.” - -“I shall be delighted to. It happens that Judge and Mrs. Walbridge are -dining out, an engagement they made before I came, so I shall not upset -any of their plans,” replied Potter. “Come over here to the light and -let me get a good look at you,” indicating a seat by the window. “Um, a -clear bill of health”--inspecting him carefully. - -“Only older than when you saw me last,” smiled Duncan, “and wiser.” - -“Perhaps,” dryly, noting the unusual lines about Duncan’s eyes and -mouth. “And does wisdom bring happiness?” - -“Don’t know,” with unusual abruptness. “It’s good to see you again, -Paul; where have you been since I left you in South America?” - -“Knocking about the world. The wanderlust is ruining me, Duncan; I -cannot make up my mind to seriously sit down in San Francisco and -resume my practice.” - -“As you are called in consultation by other physicians in every State -of the Union, I’m not worrying about your financial condition,” -retorted Duncan, examining the famous alienist carefully in his turn. -“I’m much more concerned over your health--how are you these days?” - -“Splendid, never felt better.” Six years before Paul Potter had -suffered a severe nervous breakdown from overwork, and he had -accompanied Duncan on a trip to China, where the latter went to attend -to some business for his father, who was one of the largest importers -from that country. Potter was some fifteen years Duncan’s senior, but -they were congenial in their tastes, and after a year’s sojourn in -China had, on their return, traveled together in other countries. “Are -you still as confirmed a bachelor as ever, Duncan? Or is there a ‘not -impossible she’ in the background?” - -“Still a bachelor,” admitted Duncan. “I am doubly glad to have you in -Washington now on my mother’s account.” - -“I was just going to ask for her,” and Potter’s manner became serious. -“How is she?” - -“In many respects much better, but she is far from strong.” - -“I am sorry indeed to hear that,” in quick sympathy. “Is she still -troubled with mysophobia?” - -“To a limited degree.” Duncan accepted the cigar offered him, and -settled back in his chair. “Mother no longer insists on washing her own -knives and forks, and takes her meals with us if no company is present; -but she still has her dread of soiled money.” - -“That also may wear off in time,” said the physician reflectively. “Is -her general health good?” - -“Except for valvular weakness of the heart. Poor little mother!” Duncan -paused and cleared his throat. “Curious she should have developed such -a morbid fear of contact with dirt.” - -“You must remember the human mind is a wonderful piece of mechanism, so -delicately adjusted that the slightest jar throws it out of gear. That -frightful railroad accident, in which your mother was half killed, was -chiefly responsible for her mental condition afterwards. I am delighted -to hear that she is improving.” - -“Mother insists on leading the life of a hermit, hardly sees anyone -outside the family. Do you think it is good for her to be so much -alone?” - -“It is not good for anyone to shun their fellowmen,” responded Potter -decidedly. “Keep your mother interested in present-day matters. I -should think your pretty sister could manage that.” - -“Mother turned Janet over to an official chaperon.” - -“Hard on your sister,” commented Potter sympathetically. “And not wise -for your mother; having shifted her responsibilities, she’ll feel at -liberty to indulge her morbid tendencies.” - -“Exactly.” Duncan puffed nervously at his cigar. “Mother did not pick -out the usual type of chaperon for Janet, so your sympathies for my -sister are wasted.” - -“Good. Janet has changed very little; as I remember she was a pretty -schoolgirl, now she is an exquisitely pretty débutante.” - -“She has inherited her good looks from mother. What do you think of -Miss Langdon? She was with me when I met you last night,” he added, to -complete the identification. - -“A beautiful girl; I’m not surprised you walked over the rest of us -mortals when dancing with her.” - -Duncan fidgeted in his chair. “I’m hard hit in that quarter,” he -admitted slowly. - -“She’s lucky,” commented Potter tersely. “Are congratulations in -order?” He regretted the question as he saw Duncan wince. - -“Unfortunately for me, no.” Duncan had turned a shade paler under -the strain of the emotion he was striving to suppress. “I would -never have mentioned this topic had it not been for extraordinary -circumstances”--he stopped and looked carefully about the room. Seeing -the hall door was closed, and there was apparently no danger of being -overheard, he continued, “Will you please treat what I am about to say -as confidential?” - -“Of course, my dear fellow,” deeply interested, Potter laid down his -cigar and moved his chair nearer. - -“Miss Langdon has been with Janet as, you might say, resident -chaperon....” - -“Isn’t she very young for such a responsible position?” - -“Mother did not think so. Miss Langdon is really more of a companion -for Janet; knows the right people to introduce to her----” - -“I see, a ‘guide, philosopher, and friend,’ idea....” - -“Yes,” slowly. “Miss Langdon has been with Janet since the first week -in November. During that time she has conducted herself as a woman of -refinement and good breeding would; she has done everything possible -to see that Janet has a good time. Mother swears by her--says she -cannot get on without her,” he paused, considering his words with care. -“My intercourse with Miss Langdon has been of the most conventional -character; in her eyes I am simply Janet’s elder brother....” - -“Well, where is the fly in the ointment?” inquired Potter. “Other -suitors?” - -“As many as she wants,” quietly. “It is not they who are troubling me.” - -“No?” in a tone of some unbelief. “Well, what then?” - -Duncan spoke with an apparent effort. “Some extraordinary robberies -have taken place recently....” A low whistle escaped Potter. - -“In your house and since Miss Langdon’s arrival?” he asked. - -“Yes; and--and--in another house before she came to us....” - -“I see--the trail of the serpent....” - -“Don’t make comments until I have finished,” retorted Duncan, ruffled -by Potter’s manner. - -“I beg your pardon,” good-naturedly. “Go ahead.” - -But it was some moments before Duncan complied with the request. - -“I have come to you with my problem,” he began finally, “because I have -an idea it may be in your province.” - -“Ah. Under what heading?” - -“Kleptomania.” - -Potter elevated his eyebrows. “It is a recognized mental derangement,” -he conceded. - -“Curable?” - -“Doubtful.” Potter forebore to look at Duncan; instinctively he knew -the hope his friend was pinning on him and his advice. “Has Miss -Langdon ever had scarlet fever?” - -“I don’t know. Why?” - -“A severe attack sometimes leaves the brain in a weakened condition and -a convalescent patient might become afflicted with an uncontrollable -propensity to pilfer shining objects. If such an impulse is not checked -at the outset by medical treatment it may gradually develop in a -monomania for thieving,” answered Potter. “Do you believe Miss Langdon -is a kleptomaniac?” - -“I do--it is the only grounds on which I can explain her conduct.” - -“Suppose you give me some of the details of the robberies for which you -think Miss Langdon is responsible,” suggested the physician. - -Quickly and tersely Duncan described the loss of his father’s forty -dollars, which had first aroused his suspicions of Marjorie’s honesty; -then related all that Admiral Lawrence had confided to him about the -stolen codicil. “And to cap the climax,” he concluded, “comes the theft -of Mrs. Calhoun-Cooper’s pearl necklace at the ball last night.” - -After he ceased speaking, Potter, who had listened to his account with -absorbed attention, rose and slowly paced the room in deep thought. - -“Have you any direct proof that Miss Langdon is implicated in the loss -of the necklace?” he asked, resuming his seat. - -“No, none; only an intolerable fear----” Duncan’s voice shook. - -“I understand.” Potter tugged at the lobe of his right ear until it -crimsoned. “Is Miss Langdon poor?” - -“Naturally,” dryly. “Otherwise she would hardly be earning her own -living.” - -“Very poor,” insistently. - -“I don’t know about that,” answered Duncan doubtfully. “She dresses -extremely well....” - -“That signifies nothing; the clothes may have been given her by wealthy -friends. Has Miss Langdon any relatives dependent upon her?” - -“Yes, a great-aunt; a lovely old Quakeress. Why do you ask?” - -“A woman will steal for another when she would not steal for -herself....” - -“Sentiment would not influence a kleptomaniac.” - -“The mantel of kleptomania, like charity, covers a multitude of -sins,” retorted Potter. “Let me explain,” he added, as Duncan’s color -rose. “Kleptomaniacs are usually found among the wealthy class; their -pleasure is derived from the _act_ of stealing, not in the thing -stolen. For instance, a man, possessing a handsome gold watch-chain, -will steal a dozen chains, but once the desire to steal is gratified, -he never cares to sell or wear the stolen chains; he may even return -them to their rightful owners. Now, back of every robbery you cite -against Miss Langdon, lies personal gain--the acquisition of forty -dollars....” - -“A small sum for which to ruin oneself,” protested Duncan, fighting -stubbornly against his own doubts as well as Potter’s arguments. - -“The size of the sum is only relative, according to the need for the -money. In your eyes forty dollars seems trivial; but perhaps Miss -Langdon may have considered the money worth the risk she took.” - -“She could have gone to mother,” burst in Duncan. - -“Miss Langdon may have feared a refusal. Suppose we take up the lost -codicil....” - -“Marjorie Langdon did not benefit by its disappearance.” - -“No, but a friend stands to do so--a man with whom, according to -Admiral Lawrence, Miss Langdon was infatuated. The inheritance of one -hundred thousand dollars would permit them to marry....” - -“Supposing she really is in love with him?” - -“Have you reason to doubt it?” - -Duncan did not answer immediately. “I cannot believe Marjorie is the -type of girl to commit theft, or to center her affections on a man who -is not worthy of her.” - -“Do you know anything against him?” - -“N--no; but Mrs. Lawrence found it necessary to disinherit Barnard.” - -“Did the Admiral give you the reason for his wife’s act?” - -“She said she was angry at some investments made for her by Barnard -which had turned out disastrously.” - -“A lack of business sense is nothing against a man’s moral character.” - -“That’s true,” acknowledged Duncan. “I admit I’m prejudiced against -Barnard.” - -“Do you see much of him?” - -“Quite a good deal; he comes frequently to the house, ostensibly to see -Janet, but I suspect in reality to be near Marjorie Langdon.” - -“You don’t think he’s playing off the two girls against each other?” - -“He had better not,” Duncan’s teeth came together with a snap. “No, -Janet’s whole thoughts seem to be turned to Captain Nichols; she -accepts Barnard’s attentions, that is all.” - -“And how does Miss Langdon look on Barnard’s attentions to Janet?” - -“Her manner gives me no inkling of what she thinks.” - -“She must be a good actress,” commented Potter. “No woman, who -commits a criminal act for a lover, will stand tamely by and see -that lover devote himself to another woman unless she has marvelous -self-control....” - -“Or no real affection for the supposed lover,” put in Duncan. “At -dinner tonight you can study them for yourself; both Miss Langdon and -Chichester Barnard will be there.” - -“Good.” Potter rose and placed his hand affectionately on Duncan’s -shoulder. “I judge more by what you have left unsaid, Duncan, of how -you feel about the girl. I would to heaven I could help you!” - -“Thanks,” Duncan’s tone was a trifle husky. “I’m afraid there’s nothing -anyone can do for me. I must ‘dree my weird.’ But,” his clenched -fist came down with a resounding whack on the broad ledge of his -Morris-chair arm. “I firmly believe that if Marjorie did steal the -codicil, the money, and the pearl necklace, she did it unknowingly, in -response to a craze to steal which she could not govern.” - -“Perhaps you are right. It may be, Duncan, if Miss Langdon submits to a -medical examination....” - -“I’ll ask mother to seat you next to Miss Langdon at dinner,” Duncan -stood up. “Perhaps then you can decide what is best to be done. Come -over early, Paul, I want you to see mother before the other guests -arrive.” - -“I will.” Potter accompanied Duncan to the closed door and before -opening it, added earnestly, “I have not meant to be unfeeling, Duncan, -in my efforts to differentiate between stealing as a criminal act, and -stealing as an insane impulse.” - -“That’s all right, Paul,” hastily. “I came to you for advice, and I -know you will help me if you can. Please remember me to Judge and Mrs. -Walbridge,” and speaking on other subjects, the two friends made their -way to the front door, and Duncan started homeward. - -As Duncan motored slowly up Massachusetts Avenue he recognized a -familiar figure coming toward him, and making a wide turning, faced -his car in the direction Marjorie was going and quickly caught up with -her. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she had no idea of his -presence until he called her by name. As his voice reached her, she -started so violently that her hand-bag slipped from her fingers to the -pavement, but before she could stoop to pick it up he was by her side. - -“Are you on your way to a luncheon?” he asked, straightening up and -placing the bag in her extended hand. “Great heavens! What is the -matter?” getting a full look at her tragic face. “Has anything happened -to your aunt?” - -“No. Oh, no,” she replied hurriedly. “You startled me, coming up so -quietly.” - -Duncan took her hand in his with an air of quiet authority. “Tell me, -what is really the matter?” - -Marjorie steeled herself against the tender solicitude in his voice and -gesture. What use to tell him of the scene in his father’s library? -He also would take Janet’s word against hers. He would believe her -a thief. In the silent watches of the past anxious nights, she had -awakened to the realization that she had come to love Duncan with an -adoration which passes understanding. It was her precious secret; he -must never guess it. Her past affection for Chichester Barnard had been -the shadow instead of the substance. Her endurance was almost at the -breaking point; she could not face the loss of Duncan’s friendship, at -least not then; nor see admiration change to contempt, and liking sink -to loathing. With a muttered prayer for strength, she raised her eyes -to Duncan’s. - -“If you must know the truth,” she said, “I’m suffering from a -toothache--not a bit romantic, is it?” - -“Perhaps not,” sympathetically. “But I know from experience there’s no -pain like it. If you are on your way to the dentist, can’t I take you -there?” - -“He couldn’t see me until four o’clock this afternoon,” lying with -trembling lips. “I am going to Aunt Yvonett’s to rest quietly until -then.” - -“Let me drive you there,” pointing persuasively toward his roadster. -Marjorie could think of no adequate excuse; after all it would be the -quickest and easiest way to reach the shelter of her aunt’s house. - -“If it isn’t taking you out of your way----?” - -“Of course it isn’t,” heartily. “Mind that step,” and in a second -more he was seated beside her, and the powerful car moved off down -Massachusetts Avenue. “How do you like my new model?” patting the side -of the motor. “I had an old one in San Francisco.” - -“The car moves very smoothly,” with well simulated interest. “Is she -speedy?” - -“Is she? You should have seen me trying her out on the Conduit Road -this morning; I brought Janet home in record time.” - -“Worse luck,” she groaned, below her breath. - -“What did you say?” But she pretended not to hear, and he continued, “I -want to ask you to be very nice to a friend of mine tonight who will -sit next you at dinner.” - -She moved restlessly. “Who is the man?” - -“Dr. Paul Potter. I introduced him to you last night. Haven’t you heard -of him before?” - -“I believe your sister said he attended your mother when she was ill.” - -“He was called in consultation. I thought you might have heard of -Potter, he’s a famous brain specialist. We traveled together in the -East; he’s deeply interested in that land of mysticism and occultism. -You’ll find him an interesting talker.” - -“Probably I will.” Marjorie’s fingers twitched spasmodically over her -hand-bag. Her frayed nerves were giving way. “Would you mind stopping -at the Portland Drug Store? I think I can get some--some iodine.” - -“Does your tooth pain you very much?” asked Duncan, turning the car -into wide Vermont Avenue and stopping before the drug store which -occupied the ground floor of one end of the large triangular apartment -house. “Can’t I run in and get it for you?” - -“No, no, sit still.” Her imperative tone stopped him as he was about to -arise. “The druggist can perhaps advise me what to do, I had better ask -him myself--I--I shan’t be long.” - -“I’ll wait, never fear,” laughed Duncan, settling back in his seat. He -watched with grave solicitude the tall, graceful girl walk up the long -approach through the parking and enter the drug store. - -The minutes passed and Duncan finally waxed impatient. Glancing at his -watch, he found he had been waiting nearly twenty minutes. A thought -occurred to him; suppose Marjorie had fainted from pain and exhaustion? -She had looked on the point of a breakdown when she left him. With a -bound he was out of the car and into the drug store. One glance around -the shop showed him the place was empty except for a clerk. - -“Where’s the young lady who came in here a short time ago to buy some -iodine?” he demanded. - -“Hasn’t any one bought iodine,” protested the clerk. “Do you mean the -young lady who came in about twenty minutes ago and walked through the -store and out into Fourteenth Street?” pointing to the door opposite -the one Duncan was holding partly open as he gazed in consternation and -bewilderment at the clerk. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - -THE STORM CENTER - - -MADAME YVONETT, knitting industriously as she sat in the bow window of -her small parlor, watched a smart victoria drive up to the curb and -stop before her door. There was no one in the carriage, and thinking -the coachman had made a mistake in the number of the house, she was -about to ring for Minerva when that dusky maid-of-all-work appeared in -the doorway, dressed in hat and coat. - -“’Scuse me, madam,” she said respectfully. “Hab Miss Rebekah come in?” - -“Not yet,” Minerva’s face fell; she had received strict orders from -Marjorie never to leave Madame Yvonett alone in the house. “I am -expecting her to return at any moment. Does thee wish to go out?” - -“Yass’m; Miss Rebekah done tole me she’d be back by three, so’s I could -go to George Henry’s funeral at fo’ o’clock.” - -Madame Yvonett glanced at the clock; the hands pointed to twenty -minutes past three. “Don’t wait any longer,” she directed kindly. “I -will watch for Miss Rebekah and let her in when she comes.” - -Minerva wavered between desire and her sense of responsibility. - -“I done locked de kitchen do’, an’ all de winders in de basement,” she -volunteered hopefully. “Miss Rebekah kain’t be much longer.” - -“Thee must not wait,” and Madame Yvonett’s tone of decision removed -Minerva’s doubts. “I have the telephone if I require aid. On thy way -out, Minerva, tell the coachman he is stopping at the wrong house.” - -“No, madam, he ain’t,” protested Minerva hastily. “George Henry -b’longed ter my burial sassiety, an’ dey sent a kerrage ter take me ter -de funeral.” - -“A victoria, Minerva?” Madame Yvonett’s astonishment keyed her voice to -a higher pitch. - -“Yass’m.” Minerva’s smile of satisfaction showed every tooth in her -head. “De burial committee axed me what I done want, an’ I tole dem -I wished one ob dem ‘lay backs.’ I’se allus hoped ter ride in one -like white folks; ye see, poverty ain’t no disgrace, but it’s mighty -onconvenient. I’ll be hyar in time ter get supper, madam.” And she -departed hastily, fearing Madame Yvonett might change her mind and -insist on her staying until Miss Rebekah Graves returned. - -Madame Yvonett chuckled softly to herself as she watched Minerva enter -the victoria and drive off in state. The victoria, with its triumphant -occupant, had hardly turned into K Street, before Madame Yvonett -descried Miss Rebekah Graves trudging across Franklin Park, intent on -taking the shortest cut home. The Quakeress was at the front door to -meet her when she reached the steps. - -“Do not trouble to go to thy room to remove thy wraps, Becky,” she -said. “Take them off here, and come into the parlor, it is the warmest -room in the house. Thee must be cold,” eyeing the pinched lips and red -nose of the spinster with much sympathy. - -Miss Rebekah sniffed as she inspected the narrow confines of the small -hall, and compromised the matter by walking into the dining-room and -leaving her hat and coat there. On entering the parlor she found Madame -Yvonett had resumed her knitting, and she paused a moment to smooth -back several gray locks in the severe style which she affected to dress -her hair. - -“Did thee find affairs satisfactory at the Home?” questioned Madame -Yvonett. - -“I did not,” seating herself near Madame Yvonett. “Two girls whom the -matron rescued, have returned to their wicked ways.” - -“If thee made virtue less detestable, Becky, thee would have more true -converts.” - -“You are entirely too lax in your views,” retorted Miss Rebekah, -nettled by her cousin’s criticism. “I warned you years ago that evil -would come if you indulged Marjorie too much.” - -“Thee did thy best to warn me, Becky,” admitted the Quakeress, taking -no pains to conceal her amusement. “I give thee credit for plain -speaking.” - -“I fear your reward will be less.” Miss Rebekah’s temper had been -sorely tried by the long ride in the cold wind, and like many another -she ached to vent her ill-humor on some one. “Marjorie has fallen from -the path of rectitude and honor.” - -“Rebekah!” Madame’s steel knitting needles were not as bright as the -flash in her eyes as she regarded the irate spinster. “Take heed to -what thee says; my patience is small this afternoon.” - -“I mean exactly what I say. Did Marjorie tell you she was discharged by -Admiral Lawrence?” - -The Quakeress laid down her needles. “No.” - -“Ah, I thought she would not dare.” - -“Explain thyself, Rebekah.” - -“I met Admiral Lawrence this morning; he asked me to acquaint you with -the fact that he discharged Marjorie for stealing”--Madame Yvonett’s -hand sought her heart as if to still its sudden throb, and her face -went gray--“for stealing a codicil to his wife’s will in which Mrs. -Lawrence disinherited Chichester Barnard,” finished Miss Rebekah, her -small triumph blinding her to the agony she had inflicted on her aged -kinswoman. Had not Marjorie’s “going wrong” fulfilled her prophecy? -She had always been jealous of Madame Yvonett’s affection for her -greatniece, and had treasured each careless action and thoughtless -word Marjorie had been guilty of to her, the better to nurse her spite -against the young girl. But Admiral Lawrence, in asking her to break -the news of the codicil’s loss, his suspicions, and proposed legal -action to Madame Yvonett, had placed a double-edged sword in her hand. -Ever ready to believe evil of her fellowmen and women, the spinster -never doubted that Madame Yvonett would instantly credit Admiral -Lawrence’s charge against Marjorie. - -“Thee is mad; quite mad!” gasped the Quakeress, as soon as she -recovered her breath. “I am surprised thee dares to come to me with -such lies!” - -“Lies? Do you doubt Admiral Lawrence’s word?” Miss Rebekah’s eyes were -round with wonder. - -“Of course I doubt it. Does thee think for one moment I would -believe ill of my Marjorie?” Her fine voice trembled with passionate -intentness. “Thee is madder than I first supposed, Rebekah.” The -spinster quailed before her scorn. “Answer the front door, the bell has -been ringing for some moments; then thee can go to thy room and pack -thy trunk.” - -Confused by the way her news had been received, the spinster backed -hastily out of the room, tears streaming down her face. But Madame -Yvonett did not weep; the wound her cousin had inflicted was too deep -to be healed so easily. With tightly compressed lips and flashing -eyes she sat straight in her high back chair, listening to a spirited -argument that was taking place in the hall. Suddenly the portières -parted and a handsome young woman, dressed in the extreme of fashion, -stepped into the room, followed by the protesting spinster. - -“Are you Madame Yvonett?” she inquired of the Quakeress. “I am Miss -Calhoun-Cooper. I called to see your niece, Marjorie Langdon. This -person”--indicating Miss Rebekah with a rude tilt of her head, -“informs me she is not here.” The spinster’s face was a study as she -glared at Pauline. - -“Thee has been told the truth,” answered the Quakeress, inspecting her -visitor with interest. “My niece is not here.” - -“Ah, it’s as I suspected; she’s made a quick get-away!” exclaimed -Pauline. - -“Thy manners leave much to be desired, and thy speech more so,” replied -Madame Yvonett with gentle dignity. “If thee will express thyself -in correct English, I may be able to understand thee and answer thy -remark.” - -“Indeed?” sneered Pauline, her desire to hurt stirred by the merited -rebuke. “Then, in plain English--your niece is a thief, and she has run -away with my mother’s pearl necklace.” - -Madame Yvonett sat immovable under the blow; not by the flicker of an -eyelash did she show the agony she was enduring. Miss Rebekah, quite -unaware that she had left the front door wide open, stood enthralled, -watching the scene. - -“Thee has made a statement which I can both understand and refute,” -said Madame Yvonett slowly. “My niece would never stoop to such -dishonorable actions as thee accuses her of----” - -“She will have a chance to clear herself of the charge in a criminal -court, _if_ she can,” broke in Pauline with brutal frankness. “My -mother and I are quite determined to push the matter to the end.” - -“Thy determination is as nothing compared to mine,” retorted Madame -Yvonett. “Marjorie’s innocence will be proved, and those who have -traduced her shall suffer.” - -“Threats don’t bother me,” Pauline shrugged her shoulders disdainfully. -“Janet Fordyce saw Marjorie Langdon steal the necklace from -mother”--Madame Yvonett swayed backward; then by a supreme effort, -recovered from the deadly faintness which threatened to overcome her. -“The Fordyces acknowledge her guilt, and have turned her out of their -house.” - -“The more shame to them.” The Quakeress rose abruptly to her feet, her -eyes blazing with pent-up wrath. “I care not who accuses my niece--she -is innocent of all wrong-doing; and so I will contend with my feeble -strength and wit before the world”--in spite of every effort, she -was trembling from head to foot. “My feet are already turned toward -Eternity, but God will spare me to right so monstrous an injustice -against an upright, honorable girl, whose only crime is poverty.” - -Pauline’s unpleasant laugh was checked by the sudden entrance of a tall -man who brushed her unceremoniously to one side. - -“Madame Yvonett,” said Duncan clearly. “I share your faith in -Marjorie----” A low cry burst from the Quakeress, and tears, which no -jeer of Pauline’s had been able to call forth, rushed to her eyes. -Blindly she caught Duncan’s strong hand and held it close in her -trembling fingers. “Marjorie was not turned out of my father’s house, -but left of her own accord,” continued Duncan. “Why this young lady -should maliciously distort facts”--Pauline changed color as she met his -contemptuous gaze--“she alone can explain.” - -“You are very unjust,” protested Pauline. “I was but quoting Janet; I -did not realize your sister’s word was--unreliable.” - -But the gibe passed unnoticed except by Paul Potter, who had entered -a few minutes before with Duncan, and remained standing in the hall. -On their arrival they had found the front door wide open, and had been -unintentional listeners to Pauline’s charges against Marjorie; the -girl’s penetrating voice having carried each word to them with absolute -distinctness. - -“I hoped, Madame Yvonett, that this misunderstanding in which your -niece is involved, would not reach your ears,” said Duncan. “I am sure -if Miss Calhoun-Cooper pauses to reflect, she will say nothing further -on the subject to anyone.” - -Pauline had indeed been thinking rapidly. It was one thing to brow-beat -Madame Yvonett, quite another to antagonize so influential a family as -the Fordyces. Her social ambitions might easily be nipped in the bud if -Duncan pursued his quixotic course and persuaded his parents to drop -the Calhoun-Coopers from their acquaintance. Quickly she decided to -modify her tone. - -“Of course I will not mention the matter to outsiders,” she said. “But -mother and I will listen to no compromise unless the pearl necklace is -given back.” - -“Thee must go elsewhere for thy pearls,” declared Madame Yvonett -undauntedly. Tom’s account of the loss of his coin flashed into her -mind. “Why does thee not question thy brother about the pearls?” - -“What need?” but Pauline’s fingers clenched in her muff as she -put the contemptuous question. “Miss Fordyce’s testimony is most -convincing--she saw Miss Langdon steal the necklace.” - -“One moment,” interrupted Duncan. “My mother, Miss Calhoun-Cooper, will -make good your loss, if necessary; but first,” his voice deepened--“I -shall take steps to clear Miss Langdon of this preposterous charge, and -bring the real thief to book.” - -Madame Yvonett’s expressive look thanked him; then she faced Pauline. - -“Thee came uninvited to my house; thee has shown me more discourtesy -than I have ever met with before--considering the source I am hardly -surprised.” Pauline shrank back as she met the beautiful, scornful -eyes. “Thee has dared to besmirk my niece’s character; for that I will -never forgive thee. Thee may go.” - -“Oh, very well,” and tossing her head, Pauline left the room and house, -banging the front door shut with a violence that shook windowpanes and -pictures. - -There was a moment’s silence; then Madame Yvonett turned back to -Duncan. “How can I ever thank thee?” she murmured brokenly. - -“By letting me see Miss Langdon,” taking her out-stretched hand. - -“But Marjorie is not here--I have not seen her since yesterday.” - -Duncan gazed incredulously at her, then a worried expression crossed -his face. “Do you mean she has not been here at all today?” - -“Yes.” - -“But she told me when I met her she was coming straight here,” he -protested. “She left me, for some unknown reason, at the Portland Drug -Store and, I supposed, returned here.” - -“At what hour was that?” demanded Madame Yvonett, growing a shade paler. - -“About twenty minutes past one.” - -“Did she have any clothes with her?” - -“No, she only carried a hand-bag. Janet told me before I left the house -that her things were still in her room.” - -“Did Marjorie seem distraught?” Madame Yvonett moistened her dry lips, -a new terror tugging at her heart-strings. - -“No, only nervous.” The answer was reassuring, but Duncan’s manner was -not, and with a low moan of anguish Madame Yvonett sank unconscious to -the ground. - -Paul Potter sprang to Duncan’s assistance, and the two men, under Miss -Rebekah’s frightened guidance, carried Madame Yvonett to her room. Once -there the skilled physician took entire charge, and to Duncan’s immense -relief, the Quakeress soon revived under his treatment. Potter followed -Duncan as he tiptoed out into the upper hall. - -“Don’t wait around any longer,” he whispered. “I’ll stay here with -Madame Yvonett until her regular physician arrives and the trained -nurse you sent for. Do you still wish me to dine with you tonight?” - -“Of course; don’t fail me,” in some alarm. “I must have a long talk -with you. Janet refuses to call off her dinner tonight, and father -backs her up. Mother’s not strong enough today to be dragged into the -discussion, or I would soon put an end to the affair. Look here, Paul,” -drawing out a well-filled wallet and thrusting a handful of bills into -his friend’s hand. “See that Madame Yvonett wants for nothing.” - -“I will,” promised Potter, and disappeared inside the sick-room. - -Miss Rebekah was sitting disconsolately in the lower hall as Duncan -made his way to the front door. - -“How is Madame Yvonett?” she asked eagerly. - -“She has regained consciousness and is resting quietly”--the spinster’s -face lighted with relief. “You can trust absolutely to Dr. Potter,” -added Duncan. “He will remain until Madame Yvonett’s family physician -arrives.” - -“Thank you, thank you both,” stammered Miss Rebekah incoherently. “What -should I have done without you!” - -“That’s all right,” replied Duncan soothingly. “Will you do me a very -great kindness, Miss Graves?” - -“Surely.” - -“Then telephone me the instant Miss Langdon returns. My number -is”--drawing out his visiting-card and writing the figures upon it. -“You won’t forget?” - -“No, indeed,” and Miss Rebekah sped upstairs as Duncan opened the front -door. - -Barely glancing at the children and nurses in the park, he strode -through Franklin Square and along K Street absorbed in dismal -reflections. After discovering Marjorie’s disappearance from the -drug store that morning, he had returned at once to his home deeply -puzzled by her behavior. On his arrival his father had called him into -the library and recounted the charge made against Marjorie by the -Calhoun-Coopers, Janet’s damning testimony, and Marjorie’s flight. He -had listened in stony silence, refusing to make any comment, and after -luncheon had retired to his room. Harassed by conflicting theories, he -finally rebelled against submitting longer to discouraging idleness, -and seizing the telephone, had sent an urgent message to Paul Potter to -meet him at the Metropolitan Club and go with him to Madame Yvonett’s. -He felt an overwhelming desire to see Marjorie, to make her face the -issue squarely and refute, if she could, the damning evidence against -her. Anything was better than the uncertainty he was undergoing. - -Duncan stopped dead in his tracks. Should he go to the police and -report Marjorie’s disappearance? Pshaw! he was a fool; the girl could -have come to no harm in broad daylight in peaceful Washington. She -was probably sitting in some hotel, or walking the streets trying to -make up her mind to go home and tell Madame Yvonett that she had been -accused of being a thief. Surely any girl might be excused for putting -off breaking such a piece of news to a delicate old lady? And yet, -would it not be natural for her to rush to a near and dearly-loved -relative for consolation and advice? Duncan shook his head in deep -bewilderment. Flight was usually tacit admission of guilt. He was so -deep in thought that he never observed an older man approaching down -the street who, on seeing him, quickened his footsteps. - -“Well, Duncan,” and Admiral Lawrence paused in front of him. “So you -received my note.” - -“Note?” Duncan shook his head. “No, sir, I’ve had no note from you.” - -“Oh, I thought you were on your way to see me in answer to it,” replied -the Admiral thoughtfully. “I have filed suit to break the will.” - -“You are very unwise, sir,” Duncan’s eyes expressed his indignation. - -“That remains to be seen. Do you still propose to defend Miss Langdon?” - -“I do,” with quiet finality. “Who is residuary legatee?” - -“I am.” - -“Then you benefit by the signing of that codicil?” - -“Certainly; what then?” - -“Chichester Barnard can easily retaliate by charging you with using -undue influence in persuading his aunt to revoke her bequest to him.” -The Admiral choked with wrath. “One hundred thousand dollars--um!--men -have done much to gain that sum. How do I know you haven’t trumped up -this codicil charge against Marjorie Langdon as a means to break the -will?” - -“D--mn my soul!” stormed the Admiral, getting back his breath. “D’ye -think I’m a dirty blackguard? My lawyer, Alvord, who drew up the -codicil on October 31, is waiting to see me; come on in and interview -him now.” - -“Where do you live?” - -“In that house on the corner.” As Duncan’s gaze swept over the -unpretentious red-brick, stone-trimmed residence, his eyes encountered -those of a darky butler who was anxiously regarding them from the open -doorway. The chords of memory were touched, and a mental picture rose -before Duncan’s eyes. Abruptly he swung back to the Admiral. - -“You say the codicil was drawn and signed on October 31; when did you -first discover its loss?” - -“The morning of November first....” - -“Let us go in and see Alvord,” interrupted Duncan, a strange light in -his eyes. Without further words the Admiral led the way to the English -basement house. - -“Mr. Alvord’s been awaitin’ mos’ an hour, suh,” explained the butler, -assisting them off with their overcoats. “He axed me ter watch out an’ -ax yo’ ter hurry, ’cause he’s awful busy.” - -“Very well, Sam; where is Mr. Alvord?” - -“In de lib’ry, suh.” - -“This way, Duncan,” and the Admiral piloted his guest to the pleasant -room where Marjorie had spent so many hours. An elderly man rose on -their entrance. “Sorry to have kept you, Alvord,” apologized the -Admiral. “This is Mr. Duncan Fordyce. Kindly tell him in detail of the -signing of the codicil to my wife’s will.” - -Alvord glanced in some astonishment at his client; then followed his -request, and Duncan listened with close attention as he described -having Marjorie typewrite the codicil, making two copies, and the -signing of the original copy by Mrs. Lawrence. - -“Admiral Lawrence requested me to leave the signed codicil here, and -instructed Miss Langdon to place it in the safe,” he ended. “I gave her -the paper....” - -“Could you take your solemn oath that you gave her the _signed_ copy?” - -“I am willing to swear that to the best of my recollection I gave her -the signed codicil....” - -“That’s an equivocation,” challenged Duncan promptly. - -“Well, what difference does it make? Only the unsigned codicil turned -up next morning. I left a codicil, signed or unsigned, on this -desk--she could have stolen it a deal easier from the desk.” - -“Exactly where did you place the paper?” questioned Duncan. - -“On this side of the desk nearest the window,” Alvord indicated the -spot with his hand. - -“You dare not swear that you handed Miss Langdon the signed codicil -because you _fear_ you gave her the unsigned one,” taunted Duncan. -“Wait,” as the harassed lawyer started to interrupt him. “You did -hand Miss Langdon the unsigned copy, however, which was found in the -safe--therefore her responsibility in the matter ends.” - -“Hold hard,” broke in the Admiral heatedly. “As Alvord says, Marjorie -could have stolen the signed codicil off the desk; she was the last -person to leave this room that evening, and I the first to enter in the -morning--and the codicil was not on the desk.” - -“You were not the _first_ person to enter this room that morning,” -contradicted Duncan. “Ask your butler to step here a moment.” - -The Admiral hesitated, but Duncan’s earnest manner solved his doubt, -and he rang for his servant. - -“Come in, Sam,” he directed as the butler rapped on the door. - -“Sam,” began Duncan slowly. “Why have you never told Admiral Lawrence -that you knocked a valuable paper off his desk with your feather duster -and out of the open window?” - -“Fo’ Gawd! boss, how’d yo’ know ’bout dat?” Sam turned ashy. - -“I was passing the house and saw the paper sail through the window into -the gutter where the water carried it down the sewer. This was the -morning of my arrival in Washington, Admiral--November first.” - -The Admiral stared speechlessly at Duncan, then wheeled on his -frightened servant. “Why did you never tell me of this?” - -“’Cause yo’ never axed me ’bout de paper; ef yo’ had I’d a telled yer,” -protested Sam. “When yo’ didn’t say nuffin’ I thought de paper wasn’t -no ’count.” - -“Go downstairs, you rascal!” thundered the Admiral, and Sam, glad to -escape, disappeared from the room. “Well, Alvord, what d’ye think?” - -The lawyer tugged at his mustache. “What is your theory, Mr. Fordyce?” -he asked, passing on the Admiral’s question. - -“That you gave the unsigned codicil to Miss Langdon who, following -instructions, placed it in the safe where the Admiral found it the next -morning. Sam knocked the signed paper into the gutter, and it went down -the sewer.” - -“Could you make out any writing on the paper as it fell, Mr. Fordyce?” - -“Unfortunately, no; the paper resembled an ordinary letter size -typewriting sheet, folded three times. It spread open and fell writing -down.” - -“The codicil was written on ordinary typewriting paper such as you -describe,” admitted Alvord. “It was the only kind Miss Langdon had -here. Still, that’s slim proof to back your theory, Mr. Fordyce.” - -“But it will hold,” Duncan’s elation could be read in his animated -expression and excited manner. “I’m willing to face any court, and I’ll -win my case....” - -“And that scamp, Chichester Barnard, will win his hundred thousand -after all,” groaned the Admiral. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII - -“TOUJOURS SANS TACHE” - - -ON leaving Duncan sitting in his roadster before the apartment house, -Marjorie had every intention of slipping into the Portland through the -drug store. Once safely inside the building she would take refuge in a -friend’s apartment and there fight out her problems alone. The desire -to confide in Duncan, to beg his assistance was overmastering. She -dared not trust herself longer in his presence. In her doubt and agony, -and longing for his sympathy, she might betray her passionate love for -him. A touch of his hand ... one look from his dear eyes.... Marjorie -resolutely kept her face turned toward her goal. Duncan’s affection -for his sister was deep and abiding ... he would never believe evil of -Janet. - -Marjorie strangled a sob as she stumbled into the drug store, and for a -second she struggled gamely for composure, but the close atmosphere of -the room combined with her overstrung state, upset her completely. She -stepped appealingly toward the clerk to ask him for a glass of water, -but he was busy with some drugs and did not observe her half-fainting -condition. Swinging dizzily about, she made blindly for the door, -her one instinct to get away from Duncan. With her last remaining -strength she pulled open the heavy door and stepped outside. The cold -fresh air revived her somewhat, but her confusion of mind was added -to by discovering she was standing in busy Fourteenth Street instead -of the quiet lobby of the apartment-hotel. She had walked out of the -wrong door. Before she could retrace her footsteps, Chichester Barnard -stepped to her side. - -“What good fairy sent you here?” he exclaimed gaily. “I was just going -back to my office.” His smile was very winning, but Marjorie was too -spent to attempt reply. Her silence claimed his attention, and his -startled eyes swept her livid face in consternation. “Good Heavens! -Marjorie, what are you doing in the street in this condition?” he -turned and hailed a livery carriage from which a passenger had just -alighted. “Engaged?” he inquired of the negro driver. - -“No, suh.” - -“Jump in, Marjorie,” but she hung back, striving to articulate, then -the world turned black, and she hung limp upon his arm. - -Some hours later Marjorie stirred, sat more erect, and rubbed her -eyes and forehead vigorously. The shadows of the late afternoon were -lengthening, and she had some difficulty in focusing the objects about -her, and eyed her unfamiliar surroundings in complete mystification. - -“Feeling better, Marjorie?” asked Barnard’s voice from the depths of an -easy chair across the room from her, and he rose and switched on the -electric lamp. - -“Where--where--am I?” she demanded. Not pausing for an answer she -picked up a tumbler of cold water standing on a table at her elbow, and -drank thirstily. Her throat felt parched and dry. - -“In my rooms,” replied Barnard easily. The tumbler slipped and broke on -the polished floor, as Marjorie faced him. - -“How dare you bring me here? Have you no regard for my reputation?” -He changed color at her tone and words, but curbed his own temper -admirably. - -“In bringing you here I forgot everyone but the person for whom _you_ -show the greatest consideration--Madame Yvonett,” he replied gently, -and a low cry escaped her. “How could I take you to your home looking -more dead than alive? The shock might have killed your aunt.” - -“I had not thought of that,” she conceded. “I have a dim recollection -of driving on and on.” - -“So we did. I put you in the cab intending to go at once to your -home; then a glimpse of your face convinced me that while you looked -frightfully ill, you were really only suffering from collapse. I told -the coachman to drive up and down the back streets, forced you to drink -a little whiskey which I had in my flask, and that, and the cold wind, -gradually brought you around. These rooms of mine are on the ground -floor, and I slipped you in here unnoticed.” - -Marjorie studied him covertly as the events of the morning slowly -recurred to her. Had he been in the Fordyce house when Janet testified -before the Calhoun-Coopers and Mr. Fordyce that she had seen her steal -the pearl necklace? - -“Why did you not take me back to the Fordyces?” she asked. - -“That occurred to me,” admitted Barnard, “but to be quite frank I -thought that your arriving there with me in the condition you were in -would cause adverse criticism. The same consideration deterred me from -taking you to a hospital.” - -“I see,” slowly. “Perhaps you acted for the best, but----” - -“I may not have been wise,” he broke in, “but I was greatly alarmed. I -at first feared that you were dead as you lay there in the carriage. At -the thought my whole world crumbled to dust,” his voice vibrated with -emotion. “I never realized how much you were to me until I thought I -had lost you....” he faltered and broke down, moved beyond himself by -his passion. He dropped on his knee beside her--“Best beloved!” - -She shrank back under his touch. “Don’t, don’t Chichester,” she -implored. “I am not strong enough for more scenes,” and hysterical -sobs wracked her from head to foot. Barnard stood up and watched her -in growing concern until she regained some semblance of self-control. -“It’s a relief to cry,” she stammered. - -“My own sweetheart,” he murmured fondly. “Would to heaven I could bear -your sorrows for you. Won’t you tell me what is troubling you?” - -Marjorie paused; would Barnard take her word against Janet’s? Her loyal -trust in him had made her at first slow to believe he was seriously -courting Janet, but once convinced of his double dealing, indignation -and contempt had supplanted all warmer feeling for him. Barnard still -kept up the pretense of his affection for her, but was it likely he -would take her part against Janet? She rose and moved unsteadily -across the room that she might get a better look at him, and study his -expression. - -“Sit, here, Marjorie,” Barnard patted the sofa invitingly, but she -declined, and he stepped to her side. “How often have I pictured you -here,” he said softly, glancing about the comfortable room. “Little -girl, I long for you always.” - -“Don’t Chichester,” she threw out her hand beseechingly. “Drop this -sham--be honest with me....” - -“You doubt me?” in hurt surprise. “You, my darling, for whom I would -sacrifice so much to win!” - -“All that is past....” - -“It is not,” he broke in vehemently. “I have learned my lesson this -afternoon; I shall never give you up, never.” He spoke as if making an -unalterable vow with himself, and she watched him uneasily. “Give me -a little encouragement, take back your harsh words,” he whispered and -with a movement so swift that she could not avoid it, he slipped his -arm about her waist. Swayed by his physical charm, she permitted him -to draw her closer, but before his lips touched hers, Duncan’s face -leaped out of the shadows of memory, and she pushed Barnard from her. - -“Stop!” In her endeavor to render her voice steady, she made it hard. -“I am in no mood for love scenes, Chichester.” - -A gleam of fury lighted Barnard’s eyes as he seized her arm. - -“Has Duncan Fordyce come between us?” he demanded. “Answer!” - -“Have you lost your senses?” Her cold fury matched his blazing wrath. -“I took you for a gentleman; no gentleman browbeats a woman!” - -“Will you answer my question?” paying no attention to her gibe. - -“What if I say yes?” Marjorie had seldom looked so beautiful; cheeks -pink and eyes bright with feverish excitement. Tall and slim and -graceful, she faced the jealous man with undaunted spirit. - -“If I thought you meant it----?” Barnard’s husky whisper barely reached -her ears, but his look of agony smote her, angry as she was. - -“Are you the only one who can--flirt?” she asked, half drawn by his -personal magnetism, and half repelled by his manner. - -“Is that all?” eagerly. “Are you merely trying to tease me? Oh, it -_must_ be that”--answering his own impetuous question in his anxiety to -trample down his doubts. “A girl must love a man when she steals for -him.” - -Marjorie stood frozen; every vestige of color stricken from her face. -“Explain your meaning.” The words were little more than a whisper. - -“You destroyed the signed codicil in which Aunt Margaret Lawrence -revoked her bequest to me....” - -“Chichester!” Her voice was poignant with outraged feeling. “You dare -to think me a thief!” - -“No, no, my darling, only a loyal woman--a woman who has the courage of -her affections--how I love you, Marjorie!” His voice lingered on her -name. - -“How you insult me, you mean!” With a violent wrench Marjorie tore -herself free from his grasp, and turning, gathered up her belongings. -“Let me pass,” as he planted himself in front of her. - -“Where to?” - -“That is no longer your business.” - -“Suppose I won’t let you go?” - -Marjorie flinched; it was a new Barnard confronting her. Gone was the -suave courtly lover, and in his place stood the primeval man, his baser -passions roused. And she had once believed she cared for him. The -thought stung. - -“Drop this melodrama, Chichester,” she said cuttingly. “Your conduct -has effectually killed whatever affection or respect I had for you.” - -“You are wrong; I have been too patient with your whims and fancies. -Hereafter I take what I want.” Barnard laughed recklessly. “Women do -not usually refuse me; they like masters.” - -“Do not class me with your associates,” she answered with scornful -emphasis. “If you come any nearer me, Chichester, I shall scream for -help.” - -“And your reputation will be ruined if you are found here with me,” -mockingly. “Think it over.” She remained silent. “Is it worth the risk?” - -“Risk? I am not hesitating on that score,” proudly. - -“I forgot your family motto, ‘_Toujours sans tache_’,” he taunted. - -“And no bar sinister,” she said, glancing significantly at the -coat-of-arms hanging above the mantel. Barnard winced, she had touched -the vulnerable point in his family history; a history of which he was -inordinately proud except for that single blemish. He threw out his -hands imploringly. - -“Think, my darling, before it is too late; can you afford to break with -me?” - -“I fail to understand you,” she retorted hotly. “Our so-called -engagement was at an end days ago; I have repeatedly returned your -ring....” - -“I decline to accept your refusal,” with forced calmness, and his -expression altered. “Marjorie, I have been mad! Forget all that I have -said; remember only that I love you and you alone. Take back my ring, -my darling.” - -“No, never!” she shrank away as he offered it to her. “I _will_ go!” - -Barnard stepped instantly aside. “I implore your forgiveness,” he -pleaded desperately. “I deserve all the harsh things you said of me, -dear; but you have never truly loved”--Marjorie’s face changed, ever -so slightly, and she avoided his gaze--“you have never loved,” he -repeated stubbornly, “never known what it is to be tempted. Give me a -chance to win back your good opinion; it is all that I ask--now.” - -“It is useless;” Marjorie walked over to the door leading to the outer -hall, and from that safe haven, turned and faced him. “I never wish to -see you again,” she announced with passionate fervor, and opening the -door, dashed into the hall. - -Barnard started to follow her, then thinking better of it, returned -to his seat on the sofa and gazed blankly about the room. It seemed -strangely empty without Marjorie, and cursing his lack of self-control -and temper which had frightened her away, he picked up a letter lying -on the table which had escaped his earlier notice. It proved to be -a curt note from Alvord and Alvord informing him that Rear Admiral -Lawrence had brought suit to break his wife’s will. For a long time -Barnard sat inarticulate with rage; two stumbling blocks were in his -way to winning Marjorie for his wife; one, of his own making, and the -other, a law contest. With settled determination to win both he picked -up the evening paper and began to read it. - -Once in the street Marjorie set out in the direction of Washington but -she was so unutterably exhausted by all that she had gone through, -that her footsteps lagged and her progress was slow. She was not very -familiar with Georgetown, but had a general idea of the direction she -should take, and keeping an outlook for a passing cab, she staggered -rather than walked along, her heart filled with bitter and hopeless -anguish. She had kept the faith and had been loyal to her benefactress, -but when the guilt of others had been fastened upon her shoulders not -one friend had believed in her innocence. She had still to face Madame -Yvonett. She shivered involuntarily, paused, walked on, paused again, -then turned and staggered off in the direction of the Potomac River. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII - -THE HEARING EAR - - -JANET, coming swiftly along the hall toward her mother’s bedroom, met a -white-capped nurse advancing toward her. - -“How is mother?” she demanded. - -“Resting more easily now, Miss Fordyce; the medicine gave her almost -immediate relief.” - -“Thank heaven!” Janet moved forward a few steps intending to enter her -mother’s bedroom, but the nurse detained her. - -“I beg your pardon; your brother and Dr. Potter are with Mrs. Fordyce -just now. Seeing so many together might overexcite her. Could you not -come in a little later?” - -“I suppose so,” but Janet looked troubled. “You are sure she is better, -nurse?” - -“Yes, indeed,” with a reassuring smile. - -“Then please ask my brother and Dr. Potter to stop in the Chinese room -when they leave mother. I would like to talk to them privately before -our guests arrive for dinner.” - -“I will tell them,” promised the nurse, and turned to go. - -“Just a moment,” Janet gazed perplexedly at the pretty woman standing -just under the hall light. “Haven’t I seen you before?” - -“I don’t think so, Miss Fordyce,” Kathryn Allen’s smile was most -engaging. “I am sure I should not have forgotten.” And the subtle -admiration of Janet’s good looks and pretty gown conveyed by her -intonation, caused the young girl to flush warmly. “Do not distress -yourself on your mother’s account; Dr. Potter and Dr. McLane both -declare her attack comes from overexertion. Rest and absolute quiet are -all that she needs to effect a complete recovery.” - -“Oh, thank you, nurse,” and Janet, much relieved, ran down the -staircase. - -A disagreeable smile spoiled Kathryn Allen’s good looks as she watched -Janet disappear from view; then with an impatient sigh, she continued -her interrupted trip down the hall toward the bedroom which had been -assigned to her. As she reached the elevator shaft the door opened and -a man stepped out into the hall. - -“You, Joe!” Though startled out of her usual calm, Kathryn was careful -to keep her voice lowered. “What are you doing here? How dare you take -such a risk?” - -“The risk is small,” he answered cautiously. “I pushed the wrong button -and never discovered my mistake until the lift stopped at this floor,” -a satisfied smile completed the short explanation. “I had to see you, -Kathryn. Why did you come here?” - -“I gave up my other case yesterday, as you know,” tartly. “I can’t -afford to be idle. At the hospital I found Dr. McLane’s call for a -nurse to take a light case, and came here. Money is money, dear boy.” -She did not think it necessary to add that she had considered the -opportunity of becoming an inmate of the Fordyce household a God-given -chance. - -“You should have consulted me first,” fumed Joe, displeased at the -lightness of her manner. “I only found out by chance from McLane that -you were here. Have you seen the evening paper?” - -The urgency of his tone impressed her. From above came the sound of -advancing footsteps. - -“Quick, this way,” she muttered, and pulled him into the deep shadows -afforded by a bow window and its curtains. - -Downstairs in the Chinese room Janet waited for her brother and Paul -Potter with ever growing impatience. The thick soft carpet deadened -the sound of her restless trampling back and forth. She could not keep -still. She fingered the rich oriental hangings, scanned the valuable -jade and carved ivory ornaments in the glass cabinets; then turned her -attention to the collection of Chinese armor occupying its allotted -space, and traced with curious fingers the beautiful handiwork on -the scabbards and daggers and carefully inspected the naked blades -themselves. The atmosphere of the room was heavy with the incense of -the East. Mrs. Fordyce had selected the room as her own private sanctum -in preference to the larger library, and spent all her evenings there -in the absence of Janet and Duncan. Her fondness for things oriental -had been indulged by her husband, who had spent a small fortune -collecting costly furniture, curios, paintings, and silks from China to -gratify her whim. - -Tired of contemplating the armor Janet stepped over to the inlaid -teakwood desk, and seating herself before it, idly opened one of the -numerous magazines which her mother had left there. Suddenly her -attention was arrested by a photograph of Tom Nichols, and she turned -eagerly to the printed page, to find that the article was descriptive -of Fort Myer and other army posts. She took a second look at Tom’s -picture. It was a good likeness. Janet’s eyes grew very tender, and -impulsively she stooped and kissed the picture. She jerked herself -erect as the hall door opened, and a hot blush dyed her cheeks, but -the question on her lips remained unspoken. Marjorie Langdon was -confronting her. - -Shutting the door softly behind her, Marjorie advanced into the room -and quietly seated herself opposite Janet. The contrast between the -two girls was noticeable in the extreme. Janet made a dainty picture -of fresh young beauty in her perfectly fitting, expensive low-neck -evening dress, while Marjorie, her white crêpe de chine waist and -walking skirt covered by a heavy driving coat and minus her hat, looked -spent and weary. She had aged in the last few tortured hours, and the -hands she rested on the flat-top desk were trembling from fatigue and -nervousness. - -“You?” Janet’s agitation was perceptible in her voice and manner. -“What--what do you want? What are you doing here?” - -“I came, Janet, hoping that you had thought better of your -extraordinary behavior to me this morning,” answered Marjorie looking -quietly at her, but Janet did not flinch before her direct gaze. - -“Don’t make things harder for me, Marjorie,” she said sadly. “I was--we -all were--very fond of you; why did you abuse our trust? Mother would -gladly have helped you out of any pressing money difficulties.” - -Marjorie’s incredulous stare deepened suddenly into horror. - -“Janet! Janet!” she gasped. “Does your moral obliquity blind you to all -sense of honor?” - -Janet stiffened and her manner hardened. “You forget yourself.” - -Marjorie’s hardly tried self-control snapped, and leaning back in her -chair she gave way to wild laughter which ended in sobs. Janet regarded -her in increasing alarm. - -“Go! Go at once!” she ordered. - -The sharp command restored Marjorie to some semblance of composure. -“No, I shall not go,” she said more quietly. “You are right, Janet, I -have forgotten myself--to an absurd extent; but I’ll do so no longer. -Your father shall learn the truth tonight.” - -“He will turn you out of the house as a common adventuress.” - -Marjorie leaned across the desk and contemplated Janet in silence. - -“Janet,” she began at length. “I have never shown you anything but -kindness; I have tried in every way to see that you had a good time -and were enjoying yourself. In Heaven’s name, what has aroused your -animosity? Why should you hound me in this manner?” - -“I’m not hounding you,” protested Janet, tears springing to her eyes. -“I have tried very hard to blind myself to your--your----” - -“My what?” a dangerous light in her eyes. - -But Janet dodged the question. “You must go,” she said, her words -tumbling over each other in her haste. “My guests will arrive here in -a few minutes. Pauline must not find you here--there will be another -scene----” Janet fairly wrung her hands--“People will talk so.” - -“Quite right, they will,” but the significant emphasis passed -completely over Janet’s head. “I have no objection to confronting -Pauline again, and particularly do I wish to see Tom Nichols.” - -“Ah, indeed; and what do you wish to see him about?” - -“I desire his advice,” calmly. “I started to go to Fort Myer this -afternoon and got as far as the Aqueduct Bridge in Georgetown when I -recollected he was to dine here----” - -“And so decided to come here yourself,” Janet laughed recklessly. “Your -motives are not so pure as you would lead me to suppose.” - -“Stop!” Marjorie’s imperious tone made even the jealous girl pause. “I -think you have taken leave of your senses.” - -“You are welcome to your opinion,” retorted Janet defiantly. “But I -insist on your leaving this house. Do you wish to be turned out again?” - -“I have never been turned out.” Marjorie was struggling to keep her -temper within bounds. “I left this house of my own accord this morning. -My clothes are still here, and here I shall remain until I am dismissed -by your mother.” - -Janet’s eyes were dark with passion. “You dare to stay on as my -chaperon?” - -“Yes. Your behavior to me tonight has made me reconsider my quixotic -effort to shield you; from now on I shall strive to clear myself of -your lying testimony against me.” - -“You leave me but one alternative....” - -“And that is----?” as Janet paused. - -“To have the servants put you out of the house.” - -“Janet!” Marjorie gazed at the young girl in stupefaction, and the -latter’s eyes wavered and fell as she caught the keen reproach and -pain which Marjorie’s face betrayed. For a second she battled with her -better self. - -“I will give you just three minutes to leave this room and house of -your own accord,” she said clearly. “At the end of that time I shall -ring for the servants.” And she picked up the hammer belonging to the -beautiful Chinese gong which her mother used to summon her maid. - -In the stillness the ticking of the dock on the desk was plainly -audible. Slowly, very slowly Marjorie rose and walked with deliberation -over to the door opening on the private staircase which led to Mrs. -Fordyce’s suite of rooms on the floor above. Janet followed her -movements with distended eyes; then the chamois-covered hammer in her -hand rose and fell, stroke on stroke, until the room vibrated with the -mellow tones of the Chinese gong. - -Out in the wide hall a man, partly concealed by the heavy portières, -jumped nervously back from the keyhole of the door as the sound of the -gong reached him, and turning, scuddled down the hall just as Dr. Paul -Potter came down the broad winding staircase. The latter paused as the -clear bell-like vibrations of the gong drifted to his ears, bringing -with them a note of urgency and appeal which he was quick to answer. - -Locating the sound, he made for the Chinese room and rapped sharply -on the panels of the closed door. He waited an appreciable instant, -then, receiving no response, turned the knob and walked into the room. -As he crossed the threshold his foot struck a small object and sent -it spinning ahead of him. His eyes followed the bright silver, and -he was about to advance and pick up the pencil when, looking up, he -spied Janet sitting in front of the desk. Her attitude arrested his -attention. Crossing the intervening space at a bound, he felt her -pulse and heart; then stepped back, and his keen gaze swept the room. -Convinced that they were alone, he again bent over her and laid his -hand lightly on her bare neck. - -“Feeling better?” he inquired some moments later. - -“Yes,” Janet shivered and pulled her scarf up about her shoulders. “The -incense here always makes me feel deadly faint. I don’t see how mother -stands it.” - -“It is trying; suppose I open the window,” moving toward it. - -“Please don’t,” she shivered again. “I am quite cold enough already. -I would like a glass of water,” pointing to a carafe and tumblers -standing on a small table near the window. Potter quickly got it for -her and watched the warm color return gradually into her pale cheeks. -“That tastes so good. You kept me waiting an awfully long time, Doctor.” - -“I am sorry; your father and I were reminiscing. I thought Duncan was -here with you.” - -“Duncan here?” He wondered at the alarm in her tone. “No, he hasn’t -been near me. How is mother?” - -“Very much improved.” - -“I am so glad,” in a relieved voice. “I felt such a pig to have the -dinner tonight, but mother positively refused to let me call it off. -Father said it was better to humor her.” - -“He’s quite right; your mother must not be excited by discussions or -dissensions.” - -“We never have them,” she laughed saucily. “We are a united family -ruled by mother.” - -“I have a great regard for Mrs. Fordyce,” replied Potter gravely, not -liking her flippant tone. - -“Have you just come from her room?” - -“No, your father and I were talking in the boudoir.” - -“Did you see----” a knock on the hall door interrupted her. “Come in.” - -“Miss Swann is in the drawing-room, Miss Janet,” announced the footman. - -“Gracious! I must run,” Janet gathered up her scarf, fan, and -handkerchief. “If you see Duncan, Doctor, please ask him to hurry,” and -she departed. - -As the door closed behind her Potter walked over and picked up the -silver pencil. He was still examining it when Duncan entered the room. - -“Where’s Janet?” he demanded. - -“Gone into the drawing-room,” Potter slipped the silver pencil inside -his white waistcoat pocket. “Whom do the initials ‘J. C. C.’ stand for?” - -“‘J. C. C.’,” echoed Duncan reflectively. “Let me see. Oh, I guess J. -Calhoun-Cooper.” - -“A friend of yours?” - -“An acquaintance,” shortly. “His sister was at Madame Yvonett’s this -afternoon.” - -“Oh!” Potter’s fingers sought the lobe of his right ear. “I believe you -said they were dining here tonight.” - -“Yes. I asked Janet to recall their invitations, but she refused to do -so.” - -“Quite right; unless you wish to declare war on them.” - -“I’m willing to do it,” Duncan scowled savagely. “The way Pauline dared -to address Madame Yvonett made my blood boil. Janet promised to see -that I did not sit next to her. Joe, Pauline’s brother, made a mistake -in the dinner hour and arrived here some time ago; he sent word to me -by Henderson not to hurry, he’d wait in the billiard-room. The poor -fool must be tired of knocking the balls about by himself.” - -Potter looked irresolutely at Duncan, but before he could make up his -mind to a definite course, the telephone bell in the library across the -hall rang insistently, and with a hasty word of excuse Duncan dashed to -answer it. Picking up the evening paper from the chair where Janet had -dropped it, Potter read it hurriedly while awaiting Duncan’s return. - -“Come on in the drawing-room, Paul,” called the latter from the doorway -a few minutes later. “Janet has sent a hurry call for us,” and as he -joined him the physician saw the butler’s broad back disappearing in -the distance. - -“Any news from Madame Yvonett?” he asked, as they started for the -ballroom. - -“Miss Graves has just telephoned no word has been received from -Marjorie,” Duncan looked as anxious as he felt. “I wish to heaven she -was here.” - -“So do I; not only on your account, Duncan, but to settle one point -once for all,” the physician paused doubtfully. - -“What are you driving at?” growled Duncan. - -“Your father has just told me that he has purchased the famous -Maharajah ruby, and now has it in his possession....” - -“Yes, he bought it to give to mother on their wedding anniversary -tomorrow; goodness knows why she hates ostentatious display in jewels -as in everything else.” - -“Has your father spoken of his intention to buy the ruby?” - -“No.” - -“Um!” A dry smile twisted Potter’s lips. “The jeweler who conducted the -sale must have talked. The evening paper gives a full account of your -father’s valuable purchase, and a description of the ruby. Now, if only -Miss Langdon were here we would soon find out how disinterested are her -thieving propensities.” - -“I have a great mind to punch your head!” said Duncan furiously. -“Heaven only knows where the poor girl is tonight; and you stand there -and dare insinuate---- Oh, come into the drawing-room and meet----” his -voice died in his throat. - -Standing receiving the guests, looking extremely beautiful in her -low-cut evening dress, was Marjorie Langdon. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV - -THE KINGDOM OF THE BLIND - - -MARJORIE saw them at the same instant and for a second faltered, then -stepped quietly forward to meet them. - -“Good evening,” she said. “Janet, here are the truants. I think you are -to take me out to dinner, Dr. Potter,” and the hand she placed on the -physician’s arm was steady. - -Duncan, collecting his scattered wits, offered his arm to the pretty -girl Janet had assigned to him, and followed the others out to the -dining-room. Judging from appearances his father and Janet had accepted -Marjorie’s return without audible comment. Janet, confused by the -rapid trend of events, had quickly decided to let well enough alone. -She feared to precipitate a disastrous scene if she asked Marjorie to -withdraw. Her father, a complete man of the world, had quickly made up -his mind to accept the situation, and postponed questioning Marjorie as -to her disappearance and return until after the dinner was over. - -Inwardly cursing his luck that he was not seated next to Marjorie so -that he could question her and tell her of his discovery as to how the -Lawrence codicil was lost, Duncan took the chair next his companion -with an ill grace. There was some confusion in seating the guests, -owing to Janet’s having changed her father’s accustomed seat at the end -to one side of the long table. Paul Potter seized the opportunity to -draw his host to one side. - -“Has Janet had any return of----” he lowered his voice discreetly----“of -the old trouble about which you consulted me when she was at -boarding-school?” - -Fordyce started. “Not to my knowledge,” he whispered. “What do you....” -But Potter had slipped into his chair between Janet and Marjorie, and -cogitating deeply, Fordyce made his way to his own place. - -Leisurely unfolding his napkin, Potter looked with interest about the -table. - -“Take pity on a stranger, Miss Langdon, and tell me the names of my -fellow guests,” he said. “I came into the drawing-room too late to meet -them.” - -“Captain Nichols is on Janet’s right; next to him is Miss Pauline -Calhoun-Cooper; the girl on Mr. Calderon Fordyce’s right is Miss -Swann, of Baltimore. Isn’t she pretty?” added Marjorie. “The others -are Miss Marsh, Miss Dodge, and my neighbor here, Mr. Calhoun-Cooper,” -indicating Joe with a motion of her hand. - -“You have skipped the man sitting opposite you,” prompted Potter. The -table, a recent purchase of Mr. Fordyce’s who never tired of haunting -antique shops, was wide enough to permit two seats being placed side -by side at either end, and as Marjorie’s eyes traveled down the long -expanse of damask and its load of silver and glass she encountered -Barnard’s fixed stare. She acknowledged his low bow with a slight -inclination of her head, and turned again to Potter. - -“Chichester Barnard,” she said briefly. “Have you met Mr. -Calhoun-Cooper, Dr. Potter,” she added as Joe, catching his name, -wheeled toward her and through several courses the two men talked with -her. - -Janet absorbed Tom Nichols’ attention to the exclusion of others, and -Pauline Calhoun-Cooper, who also had much to occupy her thoughts, -gave up trying to make conversation with Mr. Calderon Fordyce and sat -back in her chair and watched Marjorie. She had heard through Janet -of Marjorie’s departure that morning, and Madame Yvonett’s statement -that her niece had not returned home had convinced Pauline that, as she -vulgarly put it, Marjorie had made a “quick get-away.” She was at a -loss to understand why the Fordyces championed Marjorie’s cause. That -they did so, she never doubted; Marjorie’s very presence indicated that -fact. On discovering Marjorie in the drawing-room, Pauline, considering -it a personal affront that a girl whom she charged with being an -ordinary thief should be an honored guest under the same roof with -her, had confided to Joe that she was leaving immediately and he was -to accompany her. But Joe, for once obdurate to his sister’s commands -and entreaties, roughly refused to budge, and inwardly furious, she -had made the best of the awkward situation and remained also. With -exemplary patience she bided her time. - -Janet’s feverishly gay chatter gave Tom Nichols little opportunity to -broach a serious topic. He was deeply puzzled and perturbed over the -loss and return of the bracelet to the Calhoun-Coopers, and the theft -of Mrs. Calhoun-Cooper’s pearl necklace had added to his bewilderment. -He had spent the past twenty-four hours trying to unravel the mystery. -While Janet had not said in so many words, that the bracelet was -hers, her manner had clearly indicated that fact. Representative J. -Calhoun-Cooper claimed the bracelet as his, and it had been returned -to him. Janet’s special delivery note hinted broadly that Marjorie -had received the bracelet after he left it at her house. And yet -how did Marjorie know Janet was wearing a bracelet which belonged -to J. Calhoun-Cooper, and why did she return it anonymously to the -Representative without first mentioning her intentions to Janet? Tom -shrank from the answer which reason dictated. - -“Why so solemn?” challenged Janet, not getting an immediate answer to -her former question. All through the dinner she had carefully refrained -from glancing in Barnard’s direction. Under the stimulus of Tom’s -presence, she had cast prudence to the winds. - -“Solemn? Far from it; a nonsense rhyme is bothering me to death. I -wonder if you can tell me where it came from,” and he quoted hurriedly: - - “‘I gave her one, they gave him two - You gave us three or more. - They all returned from him to you - Though they were mine before.’” - -“Alice In Wonderland!” Janet clapped her hands and laughed in open -amusement. “To think of an artillery officer being ‘up’ in nursery -rhymes.” - -“So that’s where the lines are from! My niece and nephew are -responsible for my knowledge of Lewis Carroll’s masterpiece.” - -“Do you remember the next verse?” asked Janet. “It goes: - - “‘If I or she should chance to be - Involved in this affair, - I trust to you to set me free - Exactly as we were.’” - -Tom had a retentive memory. Was Janet intentionally misquoting? Did -she mean him to take the nonsense rhyme seriously? He glanced sharply -at her, but her head was partly turned as she helped herself to the -_vol-au-vent_. He waited for her full attention before answering. - -“It sounds like the unutterable tread of unsearchable circumstances,” -he said. - -It was Janet’s turn to be mystified. “I don’t at all understand what -you mean,” she admitted plaintively, wrinkling her pretty forehead in -wonder. “I don’t even know you are really my friend....” - -“Janet, don’t for a moment doubt me,” Tom lowered his voice so that it -reached her ear alone. “I am yours, heart and soul.” - -Her eyes fell before his, unable to bear the worship which kindled his -plain features almost into beauty, and the carmine mounted her cheeks. - -“You’ll never believe anything people may say against me?” she pleaded. - -“Never,” with reassuring vehemence. - -“Will you promise to stand by me----?” - -“Always; through thick and thin.” - -“Then, Tom, save me from myself,” and a little cold hand slipped into -his under cover of the table. - -Tom was white under his tan. He was in deadly earnest, but was Janet -equally so? His clasp tightened on her hand until her ring cut into the -tender flesh. - -“Tell me, Janet,” and the very repression of his voice showed the -tension he was laboring under. “Is there a chance for me?” - -“You are very blind, dear,” and the love-light in her eyes was -unmistakable. - -Paul Potter scanned Janet and Tom quizzically for a second, then turned -back to Marjorie. - -“It’s no use,” he said. “I’ve tried repeatedly to break into their -conversation; but it’s a close corporation. Behold, you still have me -on your hands.” - -“That is no hardship but good fortune,” Marjorie spoke with -truthfulness. Joe was not particularly interesting at any time; and -feeling as she did that night, anything which interrupted a tête-à-tête -with a member of the Calhoun-Cooper family was in the nature of a -relief. She had held a three-cornered conversation with Potter and Joe -most of the evening, and Joe, usually unobserving, had not failed to -note the physician’s intent gaze and finally turning restive under the -ceaseless espionage, was glad to present his back to his right-hand -neighbors and talk to his dinner partner, Miss Dodge. - -“Tell me more of your adventures when you accompanied Duncan Fordyce to -China, Doctor,” continued Marjorie, after a short pause. - -“I’m afraid I’ve already related all the exciting incidents of our -trip. If you want thrilling romance ask Mr. Fordyce to tell you the -story of the Maharajah’s ruby which he intends giving to his wife on -their wedding anniversary tomorrow. Has he already shown it to you?” - -“No.” - -“That’s so, he only purchased the ruby today. I believe I’m letting -out state secrets,” Potter laughed ruefully. “Don’t betray me, even to -Janet.” - -“I promise not to, but....” - -“Are you and Marjorie speaking of the ruby?” questioned Janet. Pauline -had finally interrupted her conversation with Tom by claiming the -latter’s undivided attention, and Janet had overheard Potter’s remarks. -“That’s no secret, Doctor; it is in the evening papers. I teased father -to show it to me just before you came in”--Marjorie’s heart sank like -lead with forebodings of more trouble. “It’s the most beautiful stone -I’ve ever seen,” went on Janet enthusiastically. “A real pigeon-blood -ruby. I could hardly put it down.” - -Marjorie lost Potter’s reply; her attention being centered on Perkins. -The butler was bending over and speaking confidentially to Mr. Calderon -Fordyce. As the whispered colloquy progressed Calderon Fordyce’s face -grew set and stern. With a quiet word of apology to the two girls -sitting on either side of him, he pushed back his chair and left the -room. - -“Do you suppose Mrs. Fordyce is worse, Doctor?” questioned Marjorie. - -Potter looked troubled as he beckoned to Perkins. “Does Mr. Fordyce -wish me to go to his wife?” he inquired, as the butler stopped behind -him. - -“No, sir. Mr. Fordyce has gone to answer a telephone message, sir. -Champagne, Miss Langdon?” and before she could stop him, he had -refilled her glass. - -“Have you seen Mrs. Fordyce, Doctor?” asked Marjorie, as Perkins passed -on. - -“Yes, just before dinner. She seemed immensely improved.” - -“Do you think I could see her later?” She tried hard to suppress all -anxious longing, but it crept into her voice, and Potter examined her -white face with keen intentness. - -“I don’t think it would be wise,” and Marjorie’s sensitive nerves -quivered under the peculiar intonation of his voice. Were they all in -league to keep her from confiding her troubles to Mrs. Fordyce, her one -friend? - -To Duncan Fordyce the dinner was interminable. Fortunately the -very young girls who had fallen to his share were so taken up with -talking of their affairs that his part in the conversation sank to -monosyllables, to his great relief. He was not in the mood to make -small talk. His father had motioned to him to keep his seat when he -rose on receiving Perkins’ message, and much against his will he had -done so. He did not like his father’s expression; it betokened bad -news. His thoughts instantly sped to his mother, but Perkins’ hurried -whisper relieved that anxiety, and he was just starting to enjoy his -untasted salad when, happening to look down the table, he caught -Marjorie’s eyes. Their expression of dumb despair stirred him out of -himself. - -His impulse was to go to her at once, but cooler counsel prevailed. -Such a course would instantly draw attention to Marjorie; he would -not mind, but she might seriously resent being made conspicuous. With -inward fervor he consigned the cook who invented long menus to a -warm climate; the table had to be cleared and the ices served before -he would be free to go to Marjorie. He glanced at his neighbors: -Miss Marsh was holding an animated three-cornered conversation with -Chichester Barnard and Miss Swann, and Miss Dodge, on his left, was -deeply engrossed with Joe Calhoun-Cooper. He was the only person at -the table not busily talking. Taking up his place card and drawing -out a gold pencil, he wrote a few lines under cover of the table, and -beckoning to Perkins, slipped the card inside his hand with a whispered -direction. - -A second later Marjorie’s elbow was gently jogged by Perkins and a card -was placed in her lap unseen by her neighbors. Surprised and somewhat -alarmed, she waited until Potter and Janet were engaged in a warm -argument; then glanced down, and under the shelter of her napkin read -the few words written in Duncan’s distinctive writing on the back of -his place card: - - MARJORIE: - - I love you. Will you marry me? Answer yes, by raising your champagne - glass. - - DUNCAN. - -Janet turned back again to Tom, and Potter, left to himself, addressed -several remarks to Marjorie. Not getting any reply, he looked at her -in surprise and discovered her eye-lashes were wet with tears. Before -he could think of anything to say or do, she glanced up, her face -transfigured. - -“W--what did you say?” she stammered. Her eyes, alight with new-born -happiness and hope traveled past Potter to Duncan. A moment’s -hesitation; then she raised her champagne glass to him, and Duncan’s -blood coursed hotly through his veins as he pledged her in tender -silence across the table. “I did not catch what you said, Dr. Potter,” -she added softly, her eyes never leaving Duncan’s radiant face. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV - -PHANTOMS OF THE NIGHT - - -KATHRYN ALLEN, taking care that her starched white nurse’s uniform -made no crinkling sound, bent over Mrs. Fordyce and listened to her -regular breathing. Satisfied that her patient was at last asleep, she -arranged the night-light, placed several bottles and glasses on the -bedstand, and left the room. Her rubber-soled shoes made no sound, and -she passed through the empty rooms and halls in ghostly silence. First, -she paid a lengthy visit to Marjorie’s old room, and when she emerged -into the hall her white gown was covered by a dark coat-sweater which -Mrs. Fordyce had given to Marjorie at Christmas, and the becoming white -nurse’s cap nestled in one of the pockets of the sweater. Finally, -reaching the drawing-room floor, she paused to listen to the distant -hum of voices and gay laughter coming faintly from the dining-room, -then she peeped into the ballroom. It was empty, and the drawing-room -likewise. - -Convinced that the way was clear she entered the library and was about -to make herself comfortable in Mr. Fordyce’s own easy-chair, when the -sound of rapidly approaching footsteps startled her, and she darted -behind the long silken window curtains which effectually concealed her -from view. - -The curtains had barely fallen back into place when the hall door -opened and Calderon Fordyce came in and walked over to the telephone. -He was in much too great a hurry to observe his surroundings closely, -and becoming absorbed in his conversation over the wire, never heard -the faint rustle of the curtains as Kathryn Allen peered out between -them into the room, drinking in every word she could overhear. She -jerked her head out of sight as Fordyce hung up the receiver. - -“Well, I’m blessed!” he exclaimed aloud. “I don’t want any more scenes; -where in thunder did Janet put the evening paper?” But his search was -unavailing, and he left the library still grumbling. - -Kathryn allowed several minutes to elapse before she stirred from -behind the curtains. Finally convinced that Calderon Fordyce was not -likely to return at once, she went directly to his desk, and selecting -pen and paper, scribbled rapidly: - - DEAR JOE, - - They know, and have telephoned Calderon Fordyce. Get a taxi and wait - for me around the corner. Don’t fail. - - K. A. - -She reread what she had written, then drawing out a folded paper from -the same pocket which contained her nurse’s cap, she picked out a long -envelope stamped with Calderon Fordyce’s house address, and wrote above -it Marjorie Langdon’s name; then straightening out the folded paper, -enclosed it in the envelope which she sealed and addressed, and making -free with Calderon Fordyce’s stamp-book, soon had it ready for the mail. - -“I think my ‘find’ will square accounts with both Marjorie Langdon -and Chichester Barnard,” she murmured, with malicious fury. “He won’t -marry me, and he shan’t marry her. God! how I--I--love him”--and the -unhappy woman bowed her head in anguish. The fact that her habit of -self-deception had magnified Barnard’s attentions to her did not soften -the realization that he cared nothing for her. It was but another -version of the moth and the flame, and pretty Kathryn, her wings -singed, turned with sore heart to Joe as her haven of refuge. But even -so she could neither forgive Barnard nor forget him. - -Replacing the envelope in her pocket, she rearranged the displaced desk -ornaments, and picking up the note addressed to Joe, left the room. No -one saw her make her way into the men’s cloakroom on the ground floor, -but once there she stuck Joe’s note on the mantel in plain view and -sped into the hall. Not wishing to encounter any servant she entered -the lift and shot up to the drawing-room floor. She made certain the -way was clear before venturing down the hall to the Chinese room. Mrs. -Fordyce had sent her there earlier in the evening to get the _Evening -Star_, and she had used the private staircase to go and return. It -would be the quickest way to reach her patient undetected. - -But the contents of the Chinese room fascinated her, and she lingered -on, examining with growing interest the many beautiful curios. So -absorbed was she that she never heard the opening and closing of the -hall door. - -“Oh, ho, Kathryn!” said a well-known voice, and with a stifled cry she -faced about. - -“Chichester!” - -Barnard laughed softly as he observed her confusion. “Pretty, pretty, -Kathryn!” he mocked. “Why so far from your patient, my dear?” - -“What business is that of yours?” - -“My general interest in your welfare prompts the question.” - -“Rot!” bitterly. “You have already shown me that you care nothing for -me.” - -“Interest does not necessarily mean affection, my dear Kathryn. You are -so emotional you confuse the terms.” - -“I don’t want your interest,” she replied sullenly, her resentment -rising. - -“Oh, yes, you do,” with a provoking smile. “Suppose I lost interest in -you and reported your neglect of Mrs. Fordyce to her husband. Is your -reputation as a reliable nurse of no value to you?” - -“Not particularly.” - -“Indeed. Found a bonanza?” - -“No; a man who respects me.” - -Barnard laughed again. “Poor fool!” - -Kathryn’s cheeks turned as red as her hair as her smoldering wrath -kindled under his look and words. “You are the pitiful fool; wasting -your love on a girl who betrays you,” she snapped, and meeting his -blank stare, added: “Marjorie Langdon has other intentions since being -thrown with Duncan Fordyce. You don’t believe me? Well, I have proof -she’s off with the old love. I found out tonight that she plans to ruin -you.” - -“Bosh!” but Barnard paled. “I am in no woman’s power....” - -“Then why should Marjorie Langdon write to Admiral Lawrence?” she -supplemented. - -“Why shouldn’t she?” he countered. - -“Put it down to a change of heart,” she taunted. “Perhaps Marjorie -wants her old secretaryship back again, perhaps conscience prompts her -to make restitution. The envelope was long, it could easily have held a -legal document ... for instance, a codicil to a will.” - -“Where did you make this interesting discovery?” - -“Among Marjorie’s belongings.” - -“While playing hide-and-seek,” he jeered. “Well, did you leave it -there?” - -“For you to steal?” The sneer cost her dearly, for Barnard’s quick wits -grasped the situation. - -“No, of course you didn’t; an unscrupulous woman would not leave -capital behind. Give it to me.” - -“I haven’t it”--but Barnard, paying no attention to the denial, sprang -toward her. “Stop, you hurt my arm”--struggling in his grasp. “You -brute!” - -“Give me the letter!” Barnard shook her violently. For answer she sank -her teeth in his hand. “You devil!” he gasped, and she reeled backward -under his blow. As her weight fell on the unlatched door leading to -the private staircase, it opened and precipitated her into the short -passage way. In an instant Barnard was by the fallen woman’s side, but -before he could search her for the letter he supposed she had, Janet -Fordyce stepped into the Chinese room. The passage way was fortunately -dark, and she did not observe Barnard kneeling by Kathryn. With a swift -movement Barnard pushed the door to, leaving however, a crack through -which he could peer into the Chinese room. - -Humming a gay tune Janet paused by the electric droplight, then sitting -down before the desk she opened the left-hand drawer and putting in her -hand felt about until her lingers found a spring which she pressed. -Instantly the panel between the two drawers, which usually looked -as solid as the rest of the desk, flew out, and Janet, bending down -slipped her hand inside the opening and pulled out a jewel-box. With -leisurely movement she opened the case and held it directly under -the lamp, and the light fell on a superb ruby set as a pendant. She -gazed at it admiringly and taking the jewel out of the case carefully -inspected the exquisite workmanship of the pendant. She fondled the -jewel for a moment, then replaced it in its case, and laid the latter -back in the secret drawer. But before closing the drawer she evidently -thought better of it and again lifted out the ruby pendant, replaced -the empty case, closed the drawer, and unhurriedly left the room. - -Through the crack of the door Barnard, with eyes almost starting from -his head, watched Janet’s every movement; so intent was he that he -failed to notice Kathryn. Taking advantage of his absorption, she had -risen to her knees and was also peering into the Chinese room. As Janet -disappeared, she sprang to her feet, intending to run upstairs, but -Barnard pulled her back and stared at her in horror. She was shaking -with noiseless mirth which threatened to break out into hysterical -weeping. - -“The girl’s a thief, a common thief,” she gasped faintly. “Trust you to -find it out, and use your knowledge to bend her to your will. Well, you -may make her your wife, but she loves Tom Nichols.” She blanched before -his furious expression. “I tell you, Janet Fordyce loves Tom Nichols,” -she repeated stubbornly. “I’ve just read the young fool’s diary.” - -“Your inordinate curiosity will be your ruin,” said Barnard, with -ominous quietness. “Give me the paper you found in Marjorie Langdon’s -room,” folding his handkerchief around his bruised hand. - -“Hush!” A murmur of voices sounded down the hall, and Kathryn seized -on the interruption. “Go in there,” she directed, “unless you wish to -be caught out here with me.” Barnard hesitated; the voices were most -certainly drawing nearer; it would be one thing to be found waiting in -the Chinese room alone, and quite a different matter to be discovered -apparently hiding in a back passage with a trained nurse. He dared -not risk another struggle with Kathryn, they most certainly would be -overheard. With a muttered oath he laid his hand on the door knob. - -“You send that paper to Admiral Lawrence at your own peril,” he -whispered. “I know of certain escapades which will forfeit any man’s -respect for you--you understand. Don’t push me too far,” and jerking -open the door he stepped back into the Chinese room. - -He had been there but a moment when Calderon Fordyce entered with -Representative J. Calhoun-Cooper. With a hasty word of greeting to the -latter, Barnard backed toward the hall door, eager to be gone. - -“Stop a second, Barnard,” exclaimed Calhoun-Cooper. “I am glad to have -you here. Perhaps you can help me in a legal way.” - -“Anything I can do, sir,” Barnard was careful to remain in the shadow -as much as possible, keeping his bandaged hand in his pocket. “I am -entirely at your service.” - -“Thanks,” Calhoun-Cooper turned his attention to his host, to Barnard’s -relief. “Have you sent for Joe?” - -“Yes,” replied Fordyce shortly. “Look here, Cooper, can’t you contrive -to settle this affair without a scene?” - -“I’ll try. Barnard, here, will help me.” Barnard looked wonderingly -at the two men. “What is the legal age for marriage in the District, -Barnard?” - -“With or without the consent of parents?” - -“Without.” - -Before Barnard could reply, the hall door opened and Pauline stepped -into the room. - -“What’s to pay, father?” she inquired. “I saw you arrive, and overheard -the footman tell Joe to come to this room. Is mother ill?” - -“No, go back to the drawing-room, Pauline, and hurry Joe in here.” - -“He won’t come.” Pauline, scenting excitement, was reluctant to leave. - -“Won’t he?” Calhoun-Cooper’s temper was aroused. Stepping past the -others, he jerked open the hall door just in time to see Joe dash by. -“Stop him!” he commanded. Tom Nichols, who happened to be returning -from the smoking-room, instinctively tripped up the running man, and -not until he helped him to his feet, did he recognize Joe. - -“Go back into that room,” ordered Calhoun-Cooper, and Joe quailed -before the look in his eyes. “Come with us, Nichols; no, there’s no use -trying to run away again,” as Joe made a sideways motion to duck by -them. - -Much astounded Tom followed the father and son into the Chinese room. -Janet, getting out of the elevator, saw the little procession, and -moved by curiosity, also entered the room. Calderon Fordyce glanced -vexedly at the increasing group around him, his request that there -should be no scene was not to be granted. Calhoun-Cooper was about to -speak when Duncan opened the hall door. - -“What do you mean by running off and leaving your guests, Janet?” -he demanded. “They are saying good-bye, and Marjorie....” he stopped -abruptly as his eyes fell on the others. “Go back to the drawing-room, -dear,” and he pushed Janet through the door and closed it behind her. - -“Tell me the truth, Joe,” commanded Calhoun-Cooper. “Have you taken out -a marriage license?” - -“Yes,” answered Joe sullenly. - -“What?” screamed Pauline. “Who are you going to marry?” - -“None of your business,” retorted her brother. - -“It is very much my business,” broke in Calhoun-Cooper, who had been -holding a hurried conversation with Barnard. “Considering you are not -of legal age to marry in the District without your parent’s consent.” - -“We can be married in Rockville,” replied Joe heatedly. “I suppose you -read the marriage license published in the _Star_ tonight.” - -“Your mother read it after dinner, and at once notified me at the -Capitol.” - -“It’s rotten luck!” complained Joe bitterly. “I didn’t know they’d -publish it. Why should you withhold your consent, father? Kathryn Allen -is worthy of respect and love.” - -“Kathryn Allen!” Pauline’s face turned red with mortification and rage. -“You propose marrying that girl of questionable repute? You dare to -think of bringing her into our family!” - -“My family is quite as good as yours,” retorted a voice from the other -side of the room, and Kathryn Allen, who had been an interested -listener in the passageway, stepped to Joe’s side. She had discarded -Marjorie’s sweater, and straightened her dress. She looked a model -trained nurse in her simple white uniform. For a moment the others were -too astounded to speak. - -“Are you Kathryn Allen?” asked Calhoun-Cooper. - -“Yes,” proudly. “And your son has the honor to be engaged to me.” She -flashed a triumphant look at Pauline whose indignation prevented speech -on her part. - -“Where have you been most of the evening, nurse?” questioned Calderon -Fordyce sternly. “My wife informed me, when I went to see how she was, -that you had been absent for over an hour.” - -“I came downstairs to do an errand for her,” lied Kathryn. “Your wife -was asleep when I left her.” - -“I do not like such conduct,” said Fordyce curtly. “I have already -telephoned to the hospital for another nurse. You may leave at once.” - -Kathryn’s eyes blazed with wrath. “You--you--send me away,” she paused -to gain control of her trembling voice. “You, whose own daughter is a -thief!” - -“How dare you?” Both Calderon Fordyce and Duncan moved toward the -enraged woman. No one paid the slightest attention to Marjorie and Paul -Potter who entered at that moment, and stood regarding the tableau too -surprised to speak. - -“I am telling the truth,” shrieked Kathryn. “Mr. Barnard and I both -watched her take your ruby pendant.” - -There was dead silence as all eyes turned to Barnard. Quickly he -decided; helped by the promise he read in Kathryn’s eyes: she would -give him the codicil if he backed up her charge against Janet. Utterly -unscrupulous himself, he never doubted that Marjorie, on impulse, had -stolen the codicil; his intense egoism making him believe her past -friendship for him had prompted the theft. With that codicil once -safely in his possession he stood to win one hundred thousand dollars. -He could depend on Kathryn’s dog-like fidelity if he showed her the -slightest affection. Janet? Well, Janet could go in the discard. He -cleared his throat nervously. - -“The nurse’s story is quite true,” he acknowledged sorrowfully. - -Calderon Fordyce staggered into the nearest chair, and Duncan paused -irresolute, as remembrances crowded upon him. - -“We saw Miss Fordyce go over to that desk, press a spring, open the -middle part, and take out the case,” went on Kathryn vindictively, -after casting a grateful look on Barnard. He had not failed her. “She -removed the ruby pendant, replaced the case, and left the room.” - -“It’s all a rotten lie!” gasped Tom. “It must be,” turning appealingly -to Marjorie. But she stood silent. She had done her loyal best, she -could do no more. The inevitable had happened. - -“Did you tell your daughter that you had the pendant, Fordyce?” asked -Calhoun-Cooper, forgetting for the moment Joe’s prospective matrimonial -plans. - -“Yes, I showed it to her.” - -“Anyone who reads the _Star_ knew father had the ruby,” said Duncan -slowly. - -“But no outsider knew where your father kept the jewel,” interrupted -Kathryn. - -“Suppose you look and see if it is gone,” suggested Duncan, and -Calderon Fordyce rose and opened the secret drawer. A groan of horror -escaped him on seeing the empty case. - -“Janet saw me place the case in there,” he gasped. “Her mother uses the -secret drawer for many private documents and sometimes for her jewelry. -Janet, my own dear daughter, a thief!” His agony was unconcealed. - -“Do not condemn Janet so soon,” said Paul Potter quietly. “The girl was -acting under auto-suggestion.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI - -UNCOVERED - - -MARJORIE and the others gazed at the physician in stupefied silence. - -“I mean exactly what I said,” he went on. “The girl was hypnotized.” - -“She wasn’t asleep,” protested Kathryn. “Her eyes were wide open, and -her manner was perfectly natural. She knew what she was about.” - -“That is not surprising or unusual,” answered Potter. “In cases of -animal magnetism the subject is awake; has returned to what may be -called her normal state, is able to reflect, reason, and direct her -conduct; and yet under these conditions, she is influenced by the -auto-suggestion. The real thief is the person who hypnotized Janet.” - -“I tell you she was alone in this room,” declared Kathryn stubbornly. - -“I am not denying it,” the physician spoke with quiet force. “At -the will of the hypnotist the act of stealing may be accomplished -several hours, or even two days after the date of auto-suggestion. -Such suggestion can only be realized at the given hour, and cannot be -realized until that hour arrives.” - -“All very fine,” scoffed Kathryn. “But if Janet Fordyce was a poor -girl she would be in jail by now. Do you think you’d put up such a -bluff for--Miss Langdon, for instance?” - -A light broke on Duncan and he stepped toward Marjorie. “Have you known -Janet stole?” - -“Yes,” she answered huskily. “I feared it was kleptomania. I first saw -her take a diamond sunburst from Mrs. Walbridge’s dressing-table on -Christmas Eve.” - -“And you never told?” Both voice and gesture showed Duncan’s unbounded -admiration and love as he addressed Marjorie. “You let others think you -the thief!” His look repaid her for the suffering she had endured. - -“I watched Janet,” she confessed. “And whenever I found anything in her -possession which I knew did not belong to her, I returned it to the -rightful owner.” - -“How about my wife’s pearl necklace?” broke in Calhoun-Cooper. “Did -Miss Fordyce take that also?” - -“I fear so,” faltered Marjorie. “But I have never seen the necklace in -her possession.” - -“Have you any objection to sending for your daughter, Fordyce, and -asking her to return the necklace to me?” - -Before Fordyce could reply to Calhoun-Cooper’s question, Potter -interrupted him. - -“It will do little good,” he began. “Janet is herself again, and all is -forgotten; the crime, the impulse, and the instigator.” - -“Do you mean to say we cannot learn the name of the fiend who has used -my daughter as a puppet to accomplish his villany?” cried Fordyce -unbelievingly. - -“Not unless we hypnotize Janet anew, when her loss of memory will -return. She can then probably tell us the author of the suggestion, the -time, the place, and the manner.” - -“A witness cannot be constrained to undergo hypnotism,” put in Pauline, -breaking her long silence. “It is against the law.” - -“And how do you know that?” asked Potter. - -“A friend, who attended Janet’s boarding-school, told me that a young -teacher, who took a number of pupils to see Keller, discovered that -Janet was susceptible to hypnotism. The magician used her as a subject -in the audience. Afterwards the teacher often demonstrated her power -over Janet. Mr. Fordyce found it out”--Calderon Fordyce drinking in -every word nodded affirmatively, “and wished to prosecute the teacher, -but her lawyer refused to permit Janet to be hypnotized so that she -might testify against her.” - -“And how many people have you told that Janet was a sympathetic subject -for hypnotism?” asked Potter. Pauline made no answer. “Your brother, -for instance?” she fidgeted uncomfortably, but again refused to answer. -“Just before dinner,” continued the physician quietly, “I saw a man -running down the hall from this room; on coming in here I found Janet -in a hypnotic trance....” - -“Did you recognize the man?” questioned Duncan swiftly. - -“I did not; but he dropped this in his flight,” taking out the silver -pencil. “The initials engraved on it are ‘J. C. C.’” - -“I know nothing about the whole business,” protested Joe vehemently. “I -thought I heard raised voices in here, and stopped to investigate....” - -“Through the keyhole?” with sarcastic significance, and Joe flushed. - -“If I was on the other side of the door how did I hypnotize Janet -Fordyce?” he asked, avoiding his father’s look. - -Potter paid no attention to Joe’s remark, but continued to address -the others. “There is nothing which suggestion cannot accomplish with -a sensitive subject. With a suggested act are connected sentiments, -emotions, passions, voluntary action, and all the phenomena -constituting the psychology of movement. The suggestion which persists -during the waking state presents one interesting characteristic; it -appears to the subject to be spontaneous.” - -“Do you mean that Janet was consciously a thief?” exclaimed Fordyce -aghast. - -Potter evaded a direct reply. “The subject generally supposes it to be -a spontaneous act, and sometimes she even invents reasons to explain -her conduct,” he said. “It is owing to this former fact that it is not -necessary for the hypnotist to indicate in what way the crime is to be -committed. Hurried on by this irresistible force, the subject feels -none of the doubts and hesitations of a real criminal, but acts with a -tranquility and security which insures the success of the crime.” - -“Your theory illustrates Spinoza’s remark that ‘the consciousness -of free-will is only ignorance of the cause of our acts’,” said -Calhoun-Cooper reflectively. “As my son seems to be involved in this -affair, I must ask you to examine your daughter; and the sooner the -better, for we are losing valuable time.” - -“Miss Marjorie,” began Calderon Fordyce. “Tell me who Janet has been -with most frequently since coming to Washington, and who are her -confidential friends.” - -“Miss Langdon comes under that heading better than anyone else,” -interpolated Pauline, and her spiteful manner made her meaning plain, -but Marjorie did not flinch under the attack. She was about to speak -when Potter answered for her. - -“That is a matter of no moment,” he broke in. “If Janet voluntarily -alienated her free-will to a magnetizer, though the latter may be only -a casual acquaintance, she is at his or her mercy; and by the law of -habit and repetition the control of a subject becomes more easy and -complete.” - -“But is not a long interval required in which to hypnotize a person?” -asked Pauline doubtfully. - -“No. Hypnotic sleep can be produced and terminated in the time it -takes a subject to traverse a short passage from door to door, and an -auto-suggestion can be made in fifteen seconds and affected in all -places and at any hour of the day.” - -Fordyce glanced at the physician appalled. “What a frightful power for -evil in unscrupulous hands. Surely Janet will be able to tell us who -has gained so fearful a hold over her.” - -Potter shook his head. “A suggestion will destroy all recollection of -what occurred during hypnotism. As a rule the process which produced -the auto-suggestion leaves no trace of its symptoms, and the subject -does not remember the way it was produced, and is altogether ignorant -of the original source of the impulse she has received.” - -“Are we to sit here and do nothing, Paul?” demanded Duncan hotly. The -opening of the hall door interrupted him. - -“Why are you all staying in here?” asked Janet, from the doorway. -“Our other guests have left....” A stricken silence prevailed as she -advanced into the room, and she was just becoming aware of their -concentrated attention when Potter leaned forward, picked up the -chamois-covered hammer and struck the Chinese gong until the vibrations -filled the room. Thunderstruck, the others looked at him, but he only -saw Janet. - -“Janet, where did you put the ruby pendant?” he asked, authoritatively. - -A crash broke the tense stillness as a statuette toppled to the floor, -but the interruption came too late. Janet was deaf to her surroundings. -She was obsessed with but one idea. - -“I couldn’t find your coat,” she pleaded. “I had to bring the pendant -direct to you, Chichester.” - -Barnard dashed the jewel out of her extended palm and sprang for the -door. But he was too late. Tom Nichols, with murder in his heart, was -there before him, and he went down under the officer’s blow. - -“Let me finish him, Duncan,” begged Tom, frantically, as the men -dragged him off Barnard. “Let me kill the dastardly hound!” - -“Control yourself, Nichols,” commanded Potter sternly. “Think of Janet.” - -The admonition had the desired effect, and Tom, much against his will, -permitted Marjorie to lead him away from the prostrate man. - -“Is Janet in a hypnotic trance?” asked Duncan, staring at his sister. - -“Yes,” replied the physician. “Barnard hypnotized her by means of -sensorial excitement. I suspected as much because earlier this evening, -I found Janet in a trance in the Chinese room, and before entering that -room I heard the sound of a gong.” - -“She struck the gong herself,” gasped Marjorie. - -“Unconscious self-hypnotism,” commented Potter. “Probably Barnard used -musical instruments, or perhaps the regular ticking of a clock to -magnetize her so frequently that the law of repetition had its way when -she heard the vibrations. I brought her back to her normal condition by -placing my hand to the nape of her neck. Tell me,” he walked over and -planted a hearty kick in the small of Barnard’s back. “What means did -you use to awaken Janet?” - -“Breathed on her forehead and eyes,” mumbled the half-conscious man. - -Quickly Potter aroused Janet. She shivered, and turned and stretched -out her hands to Tom. - -“Take me away,” she said. “Oh, Tom, I asked you at dinner to protect me -from myself. I’m not well--I tell you, I’m not well,” and she shook as -with an ague. - -Utterly regardless of the others’ presence, Tom gathered her in his -strong arms. “I shall always guard you, my darling,” he promised -tenderly. “No one shall come between us, and you will never be -tormented again. Come with me.” - -Barnard staggered to his feet and tried to intercept the lovers. Janet -cowered back at his approach. - -“Don’t let him touch me,” she pleaded piteously. “He says I’m a -kleptomaniac, and that I must steal, steal----” a shudder of repulsion -shook her. “He threatened to tell, he threatened to tell. Am I a -kleptomaniac, Tom, dear Tom, am I a kleptomaniac?” Her eyes were alight -with horror. - -“No, no, my darling; you are only the dearest and best sweetheart in -the whole world”--Tom’s voice quivered, and he held her close. - -“But, Tom, I did find other people’s jewelry in my possession -sometimes, and how did I get it unless I was a kleptomaniac?” Janet -raised both hands to her throbbing temples and burst into a storm of -tears. - -“Go in the library with Nichols, Janet,” broke in Potter. “He will -explain away your--nightmare.” Tom nodded understandingly as he caught -the physician’s warning glare, and he gently led Janet out of the room. -Barnard tried to slide after them, but Duncan pulled him back and -closed the hall door. - -“State what you have to say to us,” he ordered, “and be brief.” - -“And suppose I refuse to make a statement?” replied Barnard sullenly, -nursing his bruised and bleeding face. - -“You will have plenty of time to think it over in jail.” - -“Ah, then you intend to prosecute?” - -“Did you doubt it?” Duncan’s eyes hardened; it was only by exerting the -utmost self-restraint that he kept his hands off Barnard, so great was -his fury at the latter’s treatment of his sister. - -“Have you counted the cost of publicity?” inquired Barnard, with cool -effrontery. Some of his habitual composure was returning to him. - -“Whatever the cost you shall suffer the full penalty of the law. -Father, call up the nearest precinct and tell the sergeant to send here -and arrest a thief....” - -“And hypnotizer,” sneered Barnard, as Calderon Fordyce stepped toward -the door. - -Joe, who had divided his time looking out of the window and watching -his companions, sidled up to Kathryn, who stood next Barnard, and, -while pretending to pick up her handkerchief, whispered: - -“I found your note. My taxi’s waiting outside. You slip out there the -first chance you get, and I’ll follow.” - -She nodded understandingly as her eyes and Barnard’s crossed, but Joe -did not see their by-play. - -“Just a moment,” called Barnard, and Calderon Fordyce paused -undecidedly. “I’ll not keep you waiting until my trial for an accurate -account of my business transactions with your daughter,” and he laughed -mockingly. “I needed money; always have needed it. Miss Pauline,” -indicating her with a flippant wave of his hand, “told me Janet was -easily hypnotized, and it gave me the idea of compelling her to steal -for me. I had her practice by picking up trifles; then came Tom -Nichol’s coin, then money and jewelry. I netted quite a tidy sum out of -our silent partnership....” He stepped back to avoid Duncan’s furious -leap toward him. Potter promptly stepped between the two men, and in -the confusion Kathryn Allen slipped from the room. - -“Be quiet, Duncan,” commanded Potter. “Finish your statement, Barnard.” - -“There is very little to add,” said the latter, placing the desk -carefully between himself and Duncan. “Sometimes Janet passed me the -jewelry, sometimes she lost it before she could get it to me. Your -wife’s necklace was a rich haul”--J. Calhoun-Cooper smiled wryly. “I -realized that if Janet was caught stealing, she would only be thought a -kleptomaniac. She was tractable enough until I tried to make her turn -against Tom Nichols; then she grew stubborn.” - -“Hypnotic subjects often rebel against injuring those they love,” -remarked Potter thoughtfully. - -“She would have obeyed me in the end,” and Barnard’s dark eyes -flamed in sudden baffled rage. “We might have gone on indefinitely, -but I grew to hate the influence you, Duncan Fordyce, exerted over -Marjorie”--Barnard’s manner betrayed genuine emotion. “I planned to get -her away from here. Miss Pauline had told me when I accompanied her -home from the Charity Ball, that she suspected Marjorie of stealing her -mother’s pearl necklace, and I suggested that she call here and charge -Marjorie with the theft, and also told her to ask Janet what she knew -of the theft. She said she would go and see Mrs. Fordyce this morning, -so I made an appointment to see Janet before Miss Pauline got here. I -saw Janet alone, and by auto-suggestion forced her to testify against -Marjorie.” A horrified gasp escaped Marjorie, and for the first time he -turned and looked fully at her. “I loathed poverty and I loved you,” -he said, and there was infinite pathos in his charmingly modulated -voice. “No other woman counted,” he stumbled in his speech, his passion -mastering him. “My punishment lies in losing you. Have you no word for -me?” stretching out his hands imploringly. But Marjorie bowed her head, -unable to speak. Potter, watching her closely, saw she was on the point -of collapse. - -“Go and call the police, Duncan,” he began, then stopped speaking as -the room was plunged in darkness. - -Barnard, taking his hand from the electric light switch, sprang -noiselessly out of the room and raced down the hall, Duncan at his -heels. He gained the front steps by a narrow margin, and one leap -carried him through the open door of the waiting taxi-cab. Duncan -stood watching the disappearing rear lights of the taxi-cab with mixed -emotions, then turned on his heel and re-entered the house. He met -the three older men in the hall, and they accompanied him back to the -Chinese room. Joe turned from the open window on their appearance. - -“Did Kathryn go with Barnard?” he asked in a voice he strove to make -steady. - -“Yes,” answered Duncan. - -J. Calhoun-Cooper stepped forward at the sight of his son’s -grief-stricken face, and laid an affectionate hand on his shoulder. - -“Come home with me, my boy,” he said, and his tone gave Joe some ray of -comfort. “I need you,” and shoulder to shoulder, father and son stepped -from the room. Without speaking to the Fordyces, Pauline followed her -father and brother out into the hall. - -Potter slipped his arm inside Calderon Fordyce’s. “Let us see them off -the premises,” he suggested, and paused only long enough to carefully -close the hall door behind them. - -Left by themselves Duncan walked swiftly over to Marjorie. He had not -seen her alone since his long-distance proposal at the dinner table. -At his approach Marjorie faltered and drew back, embarrassment tinging -her white cheeks a delicate pink. Desperately she controlled an impulse -to turn and fly; then as she met the yearning tenderness of his -regard she half conquered her shyness and her hand stole toward him in -pleading surrender. Intuitive knowledge guided Duncan as he laid his -cheek against her soft palm; she had been sorely tried that day, her -composure was at the breaking point. - -“What have you there?” he asked gently, pointing to a long envelope -which Marjorie clutched in one nervous hand. - -“I don’t know,” she steadied her voice with an effort, and handed him -the envelope. “My name is written over your house address in the upper -left-hand corner, and it is addressed to Admiral Lawrence. I found -the envelope in the pocket of my sweater which was lying on the floor -behind this door leading to your mother’s private staircase. I have no -idea how it got there.” - -“We’ve had enough mysteries.” Duncan thrust an impatient finger under -the flap of the envelope and tore it open; then drew out a folded -typewritten sheet and glanced hastily over it. “Jove! it’s the signed -codicil to Mrs. Lawrence’s will. I thought I had solved that mystery.” - -His surprise was reflected in Marjorie’s face. “I know nothing about -it,” she protested hotly. “I did not address this envelope to Admiral -Lawrence, nor write my name in the corner....” - -“But the person who stole the codicil inscribed it for you,” exclaimed -Duncan triumphantly. “And also made free with your sweater. What else -is in the pockets?” thrusting his hand inside them. From the last one -he pulled out a piece of white linen. “Why, it’s a nurse’s cap, and the -initials ‘K. A.’ are stamped inside it----” turning the cap over in his -hand. - -“Kathryn Allen!” exclaimed Marjorie. “She was Mrs. Lawrence’s nurse, -and was desperately in love with Chichester Barnard....” - -“Ah, that is the key to the riddle. She stole the codicil after you -left that afternoon; it was lying conveniently to her hand on the desk -where Alvord had left it. She undoubtedly hoped that Barnard would -marry her and they would inherit Mrs. Lawrence’s legacy.” - -“But why should my name be on this envelope--it looks as if I had sent -the codicil back to Admiral Lawrence.” - -“That is obviously what she intended; probably hoped to involve you -in further trouble. Jove! now she’s with Barnard, she’s probably -longing to have this codicil back in her possession,” as he spoke, -Duncan thrust the codicil inside the secret drawer. “It can rest there -for tonight; in the morning I’ll take it to the Admiral, and then, -good-bye to Chichester Barnard’s inheritance. To think of his eloping -with a poor woman after all! I believe he knew or suspected she had -the codicil--what an awakening for them both when they find she left -the codicil here.” Duncan shut the drawer, and turned to his silent -companion. “Marjorie, have you nothing to say to me?” - -Marjorie’s eyes fell before his ardent look. “I have so much that I do -not know where to begin. Ah, how can I thank you for your faith....” - -“It was more than faith, Marjorie, it was the master hand of love.” - -And as his arms closed around her, she knew, Oh, happy Marjorie, that -she had won her woman’s paradise at last. - -THE END - - - - -TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES: - -On page 13, swivil has been changed to swivel. - -On page 13, amenuensis has been changed to amanuensis. - -On page 24, Consin has been changed to Cousin. - -On page 66, to-day has been changed to today. - -On page 69, Elipse has been changed to Ellipse. - -On page 95, dinner dance has been changed to dinner-dance. - -On pages 136 and 139, to-morrow has been changed to tomorrow. - -On page 175, insistance has been changed to insistence. - -On page 175, ice-water has been changed to ice water. - -On page 186, Calhourn has been changed to Calhoun. - -On page 211, Valkenburg has been changed to Valkenberg. - -On page 224, sun-lit has been changed to sunlit. - -On page 233, armchair has been changed to arm-chair. - -Illustrations occurring in the middle of a paragraph have been moved to -avoid interrupting the reader’s flow. - -Other spellings, hyphenation and non-English dialogue have been retained -as typeset. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE OFFICIAL CHAPERON *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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